Abstract: We report on the design, fabrication and measurement of travelling-wave superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) integrated with polycrystalline diamond photonic circuits. We analyze their performance both in the near-infrared wavelength regime around 1600 nm and at 765 nm. Near-IR detection is important for compatibility with the telecommunication infrastructure, while operation in the visible wavelength range is relevant for compatibility with the emission line of silicon vacancy centers in diamond which can be used as efficient single-photon sources. Our detectors feature high critical currents (up to 31 μA) and high performance in terms of efficiency (up to 74% at 765 nm), noise-equivalent power (down to 4.4×10-19 W/Hz1/2 at 765 nm) and timing jitter (down to 23 ps).

Abstract: Ultrafast, high quantum efficiency single photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. High photon detection efficiency is essential for scalable measurement-based quantum computation, quantum key distribution, and loophole-free Bell experiments. However, imperfect modal matching and finite photon absorption rates have usually limited the maximum attainable detection efficiency of single photon detectors. Here we demonstrate a superconducting nanowire detector atop nanophotonic waveguides which allows us to drastically increase the absorption length for incoming photons. When operating the detectors close to the critical current we achieve high on-chip single photon detection efficiency up to 91% at telecom wavelengths, with uncertainty dictated by the variation of the waveguide photon flux. We also observe remarkably low dark count rates without significant compromise of detection efficiency. Furthermore, our detectors are fully embedded in a scalable silicon photonic circuit and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18ps. Exploiting this high temporal resolution we demonstrate ballistic photon transport in silicon ring resonators. The direct implementation of such a detector with high quantum efficiency, high detection speed and low jitter time on chip overcomes a major barrier in integrated quantum photonics.

Abstract: Thin film NbN (<40 A) strips are used as waveguide mixer elements. The electron cooling mechanism for the geometry is the electron-phonon interaction. We report a receiver noise temperature of 750 K at 244 GHz, with / IF = 1.5 GHz, Af= 500 MHz, and Tphysical = 4 K. The instantaneous bandwidth for this mixer is 1.6 GHz. The local oscillator (LO) power is 0.5 1.tW with 3 dB-uncertainty. The mixer is linear to 1 dB up to an input power level 6 dB below the LO power. We report the first detection of a molecular line emission using this class of mixer, and that the receiver noise temperature determined from Y-factor measurements reflects the true heterodyne sensitivity.

Abstract: We investigate competition between one- and two-dimensional topological excitations – phase slips and vortices – in formation of resistive states in quasi-two-dimensional superconductors in a wide temperature range below the mean-field transition temperature T(C0). The widths w = 100 nm of our ultrathin NbN samples is substantially larger than the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length ξ = 4nm and the fluctuation resistivity above T(C0) has a two-dimensional character. However, our data shows that the resistivity below T(C0) is produced by one-dimensional excitations, – thermally activated phase slip strips (PSSs) overlapping the sample cross-section. We also determine the scaling phase diagram, which shows that even in wider samples the PSS contribution dominates over vortices in a substantial region of current/temperature variations. Measuring the resistivity within seven orders of magnitude, we find that the quantum phase slips can only be essential below this level.

Abstract: We report results of the numerical solution by the Euler method of the system of heat balance equations written in recurrent form for the superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) embedded in an electrical circuit. By taking into account the dependence of the HEB resistance on the transport current we have been able to calculate rigorously the RF heating efficiency, absorbed local oscillator (LO) power and conversion gain of the HEB mixer. We show that the calculated conversion gai nis in excellent agreement with the experimental results, and that the substitution of the calculated RF heating efficiency and absorbed LO power into the expressions for the conversion gain and noise temperature given by the analytical small-signal model of the HEB yields excellent agreement with the corresponding measured values