| Records |
| Author |
Sobolewski, R.; Verevkin, A.; Gol'tsman, G.N.; Lipatov, A.; Wilsher, K. |
| Title |
Ultrafast superconducting single-photon optical detectors and their applications |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2003 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
13 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
1151-1157 |
Keywords  |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
| Abstract |
We present a new class of ultrafast single-photon detectors for counting both visible and infrared photons. The detection mechanism is based on photon-induced hotspot formation, which forces the supercurrent redistribution and leads to the appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin, submicrometer-width, superconducting stripe. The devices were fabricated from 3.5-nm- and 10-nm-thick NbN films, patterned into <200-nm-wide stripes in the 4 /spl times/ 4-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ or 10 /spl times/ 10-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ meander-type geometry, and operated at 4.2 K, well below the NbN critical temperature (T/sub c/=10-11 K). Continuous-wave and pulsed-laser optical sources in the 400-nm-to 3500-nm-wavelength range were used to determine the detector performance in the photon-counting mode. Experimental quantum efficiency was found to exponentially depend on the photon wavelength, and for our best, 3.5-nm-thick, 100-/spl mu/m/sup 2/-area devices varied from >10% for 405-nm radiation to 3.5% for 1550-nm photons. The detector response time and jitter were /spl sim/100 ps and 35 ps, respectively, and were acquisition system limited. The dark counts were below 0.01 per second at optimal biasing. In terms of the counting rate, jitter, and dark counts, the NbN single-photon detectors significantly outperform their semiconductor counterparts. Already-identified applications for our devices range from noncontact testing of semiconductor CMOS VLSI circuits to free-space quantum cryptography and communications. |
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1051-8223 |
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509 |
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| Author |
Il’in, K. S.; Milostnaya, I. I.; Verevkin, A. A.; Gol’tsman, G. N.; Gershenzon, E. M.; Sobolewski, R. |
| Title |
Ultimate quantum efficiency of a superconducting hot-electron photodetector |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1998 |
Publication |
Appl. Phys. Lett. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Phys. Lett. |
| Volume |
73 |
Issue |
26 |
Pages |
3938-3940 |
| Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
| Abstract |
The quantum efficiency and current and voltage responsivities of fast hot-electron photodetectors, fabricated from superconducting NbN thin films and biased in the resistive state, have been shown to reach values of 340, 220 A/W, and 4×104 V/W,
respectively, for infrared radiation with a wavelength of 0.79 μm. The characteristics of the photodetectors are presented within the general model, based on relaxation processes in the nonequilibrium electron heating of a superconducting thin film. The observed, very high efficiency and sensitivity of the superconductor absorbing the photon are explained by the high multiplication rate of quasiparticles during the avalanche breaking of Cooper pairs. |
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0003-6951 |
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1579 |
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| Author |
Semenov, A.; Engel, A.; Il'in, K.; Gol'tsman, G.; Siegel, M.; Hübers, H.-W. |
| Title |
Ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. |
| Volume |
21 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
171-178 |
| Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
| Abstract |
We analyze the ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector in order to meet requirements for applications in near-infrared astronomy and X-ray spectroscopy. The detector exploits a combined detection mechanism, in which avalanche quasiparticle multiplication and the supercurrent jointly produce a voltage response to a single absorbed photon via successive formation of a photon-induced and a current-induced normal hotspot in a narrow superconducting strip. The response time of the detector should increase with the photon energy providing energy resolution. Depending on the superconducting material and operation conditions, the cut-off wavelength for the single-photon detection regime varies from infrared waves to visible light. We simulated the performance of the background-limited infrared direct detector and X-ray photon counter utilizing the above mechanism. Low dark count rate and intrinsic low-frequency cut-off allow for realizing a background limited noise equivalent power of 10−20 W Hz−1/2 for a far-infrared direct detector exposed to 4-K background radiation. At low temperatures, the intrinsic response time of the counter is rather determined by diffusion of nonequilibrium electrons than by the rate of energy transfer to phonons. Therefore, thermal fluctuations do not hamper energy resolution of the X-ray photon counter that should be better than 10−3 for 6-keV photons. Comparison of new data obtained with a Nb based detector and previously reported results on NbN quantum detectors support our estimates of ultimate detector performance. |
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1286-0042 |
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534 |
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Gol’tsman, G.; Okunev, O.; Chulkova, G.; Lipatov, A.; Dzardanov, A.; Smirnov, K.; Semenov, A.; Voronov, B.; Williams, C.; Sobolewski, R. |
| Title |
Fabrication and properties of an ultrafast NbN hot-electron single-photon detector |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2001 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
| Volume |
11 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
574-577 |
| Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
| Abstract |
A new type of ultra-high-speed single-photon counter for visible and near-infrared wavebands based on an ultrathin NbN hot-electron photodetector (HEP) has been developed. The detector consists of a very narrow superconducting stripe, biased close to its critical current. An incoming photon absorbed by the stripe produces a resistive hotspot and causes an increase in the film’s supercurrent density above the critical value, leading to temporary formation of a resistive barrier across the device and an easily measurable voltage pulse. Our NbN HEP is an ultrafast (estimated response time is 30 ps; registered time, due to apparatus limitations, is 150 ps), frequency unselective device with very large intrinsic gain and negligible dark counts. We have observed sequences of output pulses, interpreted as single-photon events for very weak laser beams with wavelengths ranging from 0.5 /spl mu/m to 2.1 /spl mu/m and the signal-to-noise ratio of about 30 dB. |
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1558-2515 |
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1547 |
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Verevkin, A.; Zhang, J.; Slysz, W.; Sobolewski, Roman; Lipatov, A.; Okunev, O.; Chulkova, G.; Korneev, A.; Smimov, K.; Gol'tsman, G. N. |
| Title |
Spectral sensitivity and temporal resolution of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors |
Type |
Conference Article |
| Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
| Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
105-111 |
| Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
| Abstract |
We report our studies on spectral sensitivity and time resolution of superconducting NbN thin film single-photon detectors (SPDs). Our SPDs exhibit an everimentally measured detection efficiencies (DE) from — 0.2% at 2=1550 nm up to —3% at lambda=405 nm wavelength for 10-nm film thickness devices and up to 3.5% at lambda=1550 nm for 3.5-nm film thickness devices. Spectral dependences of detection efficiency (DE) at 2=0.4 —3.0 pm range are presented. With variable optical delay setup, it is shown that NbN SPD potentially can resolve optical pulses with the repetition rate up to 10 GHz at least. The observed full width at the half maximum (FWHM) of the signal pulse is about 150-180 ps, limited by read-out electronics. The jitter of NbN SPD is measured to be —35 ps at optimum biasing. |
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1528 |
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