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Milostnaya I, Korneev A, Tarkhov M, Divochiy A, Minaeva O, Seleznev V, et al. Superconducting single photon nanowire detectors development for IR and THz applications. J Low Temp Phys. 2008;151(1-2):591–6.
Abstract: We present our progress in the development of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) based on meander-shaped nanowires made from few-nm-thick superconducting films. The SSPDs are operated at a temperature of 2–4.2 K (well below T c ) being biased with a current very close to the nanowire critical current at the operation temperature. To date, the material of choice for SSPDs is niobium nitride (NbN). Developed NbN SSPDs are capable of single photon counting in the range from VIS to mid-IR (up to 6 μm) with a record low dark counts rate and record-high counting rate. The use of a material with a low transition temperature should shift the detectors sensitivity towards longer wavelengths. We present state-of-the art NbN SSPDs as well as the results of our recent approach to expand the developed SSPD technology by the use of superconducting materials with lower T c , such as molybdenum rhenium (MoRe). MoRe SSPDs first were made and tested; a single photon response was obtained.
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Korneev AA, Divochiy AV, Vakhtomin YB, Korneeva YP, Larionov PA, Manova NN, et al. IR single-photon receiver based on ultrathin NbN superconducting film. Rus J Radio Electron. 2013;(5).
Abstract: We present our recent results in research and development of superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD). We achieved the following performance improvement: first, we developed and characterized SSPD integrated in optical cavity and enabling its illumination from the face side, not through the substrate, second, we improved the quantum efficiency of the SSPD at around 3 μm wavelength by reduction of the strip width to 40 nm, and, finally, we improved the detection efficiency of the SSPD-based single-photon receiver system up to 20% at 1550 nm and extended its wavelength range beyond 1800 nm by the usage of the fluoride ZBLAN fibres.
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Korneeva YP, Mikhailov MY, Pershin YP, Manova NN, Divochiy AV, Vakhtomin YB, et al. Superconducting single-photon detector made of MoSi film. Supercond Sci Technol. 2014;27(9):095012.
Abstract: We fabricated and characterized nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors made of 4 nm thick amorphous Mox Si1−x films. At 1.7 K the best devices exhibit a detection efficiency (DE) up to 18% at 1.2 $\mu {\rm m}$ wavelength of unpolarized light, a characteristic response time of about 6 ns and timing jitter of 120 ps. The DE was studied in wavelength range from 650 nm to 2500 nm. At wavelengths below 1200 nm these detectors reach their maximum DE limited by photon absorption in the thin MoSi film.
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Takemoto K, Nambu Y, Miyazawa T, Sakuma Y, Yamamoto T, Yorozu S, et al. Quantum key distribution over 120 km using ultrahigh purity single-photon source and superconducting single-photon detectors. Sci. Rep.. 2015;5:14383.
Abstract: Advances in single-photon sources (SPSs) and single-photon detectors (SPDs) promise unique applications in the field of quantum information technology. In this paper, we report long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) by using state-of-the-art devices: a quantum-dot SPS (QD SPS) emitting a photon in the telecom band of 1.5 μm and a superconducting nanowire SPD (SNSPD). At the distance of 100 km, we obtained the maximal secure key rate of 27.6 bps without using decoy states, which is at least threefold larger than the rate obtained in the previously reported 50-km-long QKD experiment. We also succeeded in transmitting secure keys at the rate of 0.307 bps over 120 km. This is the longest QKD distance yet reported by using known true SPSs. The ultralow multiphoton emissions of our SPS and ultralow dark count of the SNSPD contributed to this result. The experimental results demonstrate the potential applicability of QD SPSs to practical telecom QKD networks.
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Sidorova MV, Divochiy AV, Vakhtomin YB, Smirnov KV. Ultrafast superconducting single-photon detector with a reduced active area coupled to a tapered lensed single-mode fiber. J. Nanophoton.. 2015;9(1):093051.
Abstract: This paper presents an ultrafast niobium nitride (NbN) superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) with an active area of 3×3 μm2 that offers better timing performance metrics than the previous SSPD with an active area of 7×7 μm2. The improved SSPD demonstrates a record timing jitter (<25 ps), an ultrashort recovery time (<2 ns), an extremely low dark count rate, and a high detection efficiency in a wide spectral range from visible part to near infrared. The record parameters were obtained due to the development of a new technique providing effective optical coupling between a detector with a reduced active area and a standard single-mode telecommunication fiber. The advantages of the new approach are experimentally confirmed by taking electro-optical measurements.
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McCarthy A, Krichel NJ, Gemmell NR, Ren X, Tanner MG, Dorenbos SN, et al. Kilometer-range, high resolution depth imaging via 1560 nm wavelength single-photon detection. Opt Express. 2013;21(7):8904–15.
Abstract: This paper highlights a significant advance in time-of-flight depth imaging: by using a scanning transceiver which incorporated a free-running, low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, we were able to obtain centimeter resolution depth images of low-signature objects in daylight at stand-off distances of the order of one kilometer at the relatively eye-safe wavelength of 1560 nm. The detector used had an efficiency of 18% at 1 kHz dark count rate, and the overall system jitter was ~100 ps. The depth images were acquired by illuminating the scene with an optical output power level of less than 250 µW average, and using per-pixel dwell times in the millisecond regime.
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Manus MKM, Kash JA, Steen SE, Polonsky S, Tsang JC, Knebel DR, et al. PICA: Backside failure analysis of CMOS circuits using picosecond imaging circuit analysis. Microelectronics Reliability. 2000;40:1353–8.
Abstract: Normal operation of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices entails the emission of picosecond pulses of light, which can be used to diagnose circuit problems. The pulses that are observed from submicron sized field effect transistors (FETs) are synchronous with logic state switching. Picosecond Imaging Circuit Analysis (PICA), a new optical imaging technique combining imaging with timing, spatially resolves individual devices at the 0.5 micron level and switching events on a 10 picosecond timescale. PICA is used here for the diagnostics of failures on two VLSI microprocessors.
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Marsili F, Verma VB, Stern JA, Harrington S, Lita AE, Gerrits T, et al. Detecting single infrared photons with 93% system efficiency. Nat. Photon.. 2013;7(3):210–4.
Abstract: Single-photon detectors1 at near-infrared wavelengths with high system detection efficiency (>90%), low dark count rate (<1 c.p.s.), low timing jitter (<100 ps) and short reset time (<100 ns) would enable landmark experiments in a variety of fields2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Although some of the existing approaches to single-photon detection fulfil one or two of the above specifications1, to date, no detector has met all of the specifications simultaneously. Here, we report on a fibre-coupled single-photon detection system that uses superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors7 and closely approaches the ideal performance of single-photon detectors. Our detector system has a system detection efficiency (including optical coupling losses) greater than 90% in the wavelength range λ = 1,520–1,610 nm, with a device dark count rate (measured with the device shielded from any background radiation) of ~1 c.p.s., timing jitter of ~150 ps full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and reset time of 40 ns.
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Kitaygorsky J, Zhang J, Verevkin A, Sergeev A, Korneev A, Matvienko V, et al. Origin of dark counts in nanostructured NbN single-photon detectors. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 2005;15(2):545–8.
Abstract: We present our study of dark counts in ultrathin (3.5 to 10 nm thick), narrow (120 to 170 nm wide) NbN superconducting stripes of different lengths. In experiments, where the stripe was completely isolated from the outside world and kept at temperature below the critical temperature Tc, we detected subnanosecond electrical pulses associated with the spontaneous appearance of the temporal resistive state. The resistive state manifested itself as generation of phase-slip centers (PSCs) in our two-dimensional superconducting stripes. Our analysis shows that not far from Tc, PSCs have a thermally activated nature. At lowest temperatures, far below Tc, they are created by quantum fluctuations.
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Zhang J, Slysz W, Verevkin A, Okunev O, Chulkova G, Korneev A, et al. Response time characterization of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.. 2003;13(2):180–3.
Abstract: We report our time-resolved measurements of NbN-based superconducting single-photon detectors. The structures are meander-type, 10-nm thick, and 200-nm wide stripes and were operated at 4.2 K. We have shown that the NbN devices can count single-photon pulses with below 100-ps time resolution. The response signal pulse width was about 150 ps, and the system jitter was measured to be 35 ps.
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