Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1108.5299 · Nature Communications

High-speed and high-efficiency travelling wave single-photon detectors embedded in nanophotonic circuits

Wolfram H. P. Pernice, Carsten Schuck, Olga V. Minaeva, Mo Li, Gregory N Gol'tsman, Alexander V. Sergienko, Hong X. Tang

Published Dec 21, 2012• 477 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Ultrafast, high-efficiency single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. However, imperfect modal matching and finite photon absorption rates have usually limited their maximum attainable detection efficiency. Here we demonstrate superconducting nanowire detectors atop nanophotonic waveguides, which enable a drastic increase of the absorption length for incoming photons. This allows us to achieve high on-chip single-photon detection efficiency up to 91% at telecom wavelengths, repeatable across several fabricated chips. We also observe remarkably low dark count rates without significant compromise of the on-chip detection efficiency. The detectors are fully embedded in scalable silicon photonic circuits and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18 ps. Exploiting this high temporal resolution, we demonstrate ballistic photon transport in silicon ring resonators. Our direct implementation of a high-performance single-photon detector on chip overcomes a major barrier in integrated quantum photonics. High-efficiency and high-speed single-photon detectors are vital for quantum optical technologies. Using superconducting nanowire detectors on nanophotonic waveguides, Pernice et al.demonstrate on-chip single-photon detection efficiencies up to 91% at telecommunications wavelengths.

DOI
10.1038/ncomms2307

Related papers

High Speed Travelling Wave Single-Photon Detectors With Near-Unity Quantum Efficiency

Wolfram H. P. Pernice, Carsten Schuck, Olga V. Minaeva +4 more

Ultrafast, high quantum efficiency single photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. Close-to-unity 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 and achieve single photon detection efficiency up to 94% at telecom wavelengths. Our detectors are fully embedded in a scalable, low loss silicon photonic circuit and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18ps at multi-GHz detection rates. 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.

•Aug 26, 2011•14 citations

Ultrafast single photon detectors (Conference Presentation)

Wolfram H. P. Pernice, Simone Ferrari

Nanophotonic integrated circuits are emerging as a promising platform for quantum photonics. A key building block are waveguide integrated detectors with superior performance. Detectors based on superconductor nanowires (SNSPDs) attached to optical waveguides have been shown to provide high efficiency and good timing performance, as well as broad bandwidth. To move towards applications in high bandwidth quantum communication and processing, ultrafast single-photon detectors with high efficiency are needed. The speed of meander type SNSPDs is limited because the required high absorption efficiency necessitates long nanowires deposited on top of the waveguide. This enhances the kinetic inductance and makes the detectors slow. We overcome this problem by aligning the nanowire perpendicular to the waveguide to realize devices with a length below 1 µm. By integrating the nanowire into a photonic crystal cavity, we recover high absorption efficiency, thus enhancing the detection efficiency by more than an order of magnitude. Our cavity enhanced superconducting nanowire detectors are fully embedded in silicon nanophotonic circuits and efficiently detect single photons at telecom wavelengths. The detectors possess sub-nanosecond decay (~ 120 ps) and recovery times (~ 510 ps), and thus show potential for GHz count rates at low timing jitter (~ 32 ps).

Optical Sensing, Imaging, and Photon Counting: From X-Rays to THz•Oct 11, 2017•0 citations

Cavity-Enhanced and Ultrafast Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors

Andreas Vetter, Simone Ferrari, Patrik Rath +8 more

Ultrafast single-photon detectors with high efficiency are of utmost importance for many applications in the context of integrated quantum photonic circuits. Detectors based on superconductor nanowires attached to optical waveguides are particularly appealing for this purpose. However, their speed is limited because the required high absorption efficiency necessitates long nanowires deposited on top of the waveguide. This enhances the kinetic inductance and makes the detectors slow. Here, we solve this problem by aligning the nanowire, contrary to usual choice, perpendicular to the waveguide to realize devices with a length below 1 μm. By integrating the nanowire into a photonic crystal cavity, we recover high absorption efficiency, thus enhancing the detection efficiency by more than an order of magnitude. Our cavity enhanced superconducting nanowire detectors are fully embedded in silicon nanophotonic circuits and efficiently detect single photons at telecom wavelengths. The detectors possess subnanosecond decay (∼120 ps) and recovery times (∼510 ps) and thus show potential for GHz count rates at low timing jitter (∼32 ps). The small absorption volume allows efficient threshold multiphoton detection.

Nano Letters•Oct 19, 2016•107 citations

Superconducting single-photon detectors integrated with diamond nanophotonic circuits

Patrik Rath, Oliver Kahl, Simone Ferrari +7 more

Photonic quantum technologies hold promise to repeat the success of integrated nanophotonic circuits in non-classical applications. Using linear optical elements, quantum optical computations can be performed with integrated optical circuits and can therefore overcome the existing limitations in terms of scalability. In addition to passive optical devices for realizing photonic quantum gates, active elements, such as single-photon sources and single-photon detectors, are essential ingredients for future optical quantum circuits. Material systems that allow for the monolithic integration of all components are particularly attractive, including III-V semiconductors, silicon and diamond. Here, we demonstrate nanophotonic integrated circuits made from high-quality polycrystalline diamond thin films in combination with on-chip single-photon detectors. By using superconducting nanowires that are coupled evanescently to traveling waves, we achieve high detection efficiencies of up to 66% as well as low dark count rates and a timing resolution of 190 ps. Our devices are fully scalable and hold promise for functional diamond photonic quantum devices. The development of on-chip quantum circuitry progresses with the integration of single-photon detectors with diamond nanophotonic waveguides. Researchers based in Germany at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Solid State Physics have fabricated superconducting niobium nitride nanowire detectors directly on top of diamond rib waveguides. This traveling wave design means that photons propagating in the diamond waveguides are coupled evanescently to the superconducting nanowires, allowing efficent on-chip detection of single photons. The small footprints of the detectors allow hundreds of detector circuits to be realized on a single chip. Furthermore, their fast response (they have a decay time of just 5.1 nanoseconds) allows operation at count rates of up to 200 megahertz and with a timing resolution of 190 picoseconds.

arXiv:1505.04251•Light Science & Applications•Oct 9, 2015•79 citations

Waveguide integrated superconducting single-photon detectors with high internal quantum efficiency at telecom wavelengths

Oliver Kahl, Simone Ferrari, Vadim V. Kovalyuk +3 more

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) provide high efficiency for detecting individual photons while keeping dark counts and timing jitter minimal. Besides superior detection performance over a broad optical bandwidth, compatibility with an integrated optical platform is a crucial requirement for applications in emerging quantum photonic technologies. Here we present SNSPDs embedded in nanophotonic integrated circuits which achieve internal quantum efficiencies close to unity at 1550 nm wavelength. This allows for the SNSPDs to be operated at bias currents far below the critical current where unwanted dark count events reach milli-Hz levels while on-chip detection efficiencies above 70% are maintained. The measured dark count rates correspond to noise-equivalent powers in the 10(-19) W/Hz(-1/2) range and the timing jitter is as low as 35 ps. Our detectors are fully scalable and interface directly with waveguide-based optical platforms.

Scientific Reports•Jun 10, 2015•111 citations

Cavity-Enhanced Superconducting Single Photon Detectors

Julian Münzberg, Andreas Vetter, Wladislaw Hartmann +5 more

Single photon technology is enabling for quantum communication and processing. Combining single photon sources, routing circuitry and highly efficient detectors in a high yield, low-loss and scalable fashion represent today a major challenge. Nanophotonic devices allow for the realization of on-chip small footprint architectures for generating, manipulating and detecting single photons. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors are today state-of-the art devices capable of detecting single photons propagating in an integrated photonic circuit with high efficiency, speed and low timing uncertainty. Their excellent metrics in the near-infrared allows to directly interface on-chip devices with existing C-Band communication technology systems. To move towards high communication speed, efficient detectors able to sustain Gcps count rate are desirable. Here we present the design process and the experimental characterization of a new generation of fast detectors, consisting of µm-long NbN superconducting nanowires embedded in a SOI two-dimensional photonic crystal cavity. Almost 70% efficiency at telecommunication wavelengths has been achieved with negligible dark counts and sub-ns recovery time, which could enable Gcps count rates.

International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks•Jul 1, 2018•0 citations
Ultrafast, high-efficiency single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. However, imperfect modal matching and finite photon absorption rates have usually limited their maximum attainable detection efficiency. Here we demonstrate superconducting nanowire detectors atop nanophotonic waveguides, which enable a drastic increase of the absorption length for incoming photons. This allows us to achieve high on-chip single-photon detection efficiency up to 91% at telecom wavelengths, repeatable across several fabricated chips. We also observe remarkably low dark count rates without significant compromise of the on-chip detection efficiency. The detectors are fully embedded in scalable silicon photonic circuits and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18 ps. Exploiting this high temporal resolution, we demonstrate ballistic photon transport in silicon ring resonators. Our direct implementation of a high-performance single-photon detector on chip overcomes a major barrier in integrated quantum photonics. High-efficiency and high-speed single-photon detectors are vital for quantum optical technologies. Using superconducting nanowire detectors on nanophotonic waveguides, Pernice et al.demonstrate on-chip single-photon detection efficiencies up to 91% at telecommunications wavelengths.
Ultrafast, high quantum efficiency single photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. Close-to-unity 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 and achieve single photon detection efficiency up to 94% at telecom wavelengths. Our detectors are fully embedded in a scalable, low loss silicon photonic circuit and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18ps at multi-GHz detection rates. 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.
Nanophotonic integrated circuits are emerging as a promising platform for quantum photonics. A key building block are waveguide integrated detectors with superior performance. Detectors based on superconductor nanowires (SNSPDs) attached to optical waveguides have been shown to provide high efficiency and good timing performance, as well as broad bandwidth. To move towards applications in high bandwidth quantum communication and processing, ultrafast single-photon detectors with high efficiency are needed. The speed of meander type SNSPDs is limited because the required high absorption efficiency necessitates long nanowires deposited on top of the waveguide. This enhances the kinetic inductance and makes the detectors slow. We overcome this problem by aligning the nanowire perpendicular to the waveguide to realize devices with a length below 1 µm. By integrating the nanowire into a photonic crystal cavity, we recover high absorption efficiency, thus enhancing the detection efficiency by more than an order of magnitude. Our cavity enhanced superconducting nanowire detectors are fully embedded in silicon nanophotonic circuits and efficiently detect single photons at telecom wavelengths. The detectors possess sub-nanosecond decay (~ 120 ps) and recovery times (~ 510 ps), and thus show potential for GHz count rates at low timing jitter (~ 32 ps).
Ultrafast single-photon detectors with high efficiency are of utmost importance for many applications in the context of integrated quantum photonic circuits. Detectors based on superconductor nanowires attached to optical waveguides are particularly appealing for this purpose. However, their speed is limited because the required high absorption efficiency necessitates long nanowires deposited on top of the waveguide. This enhances the kinetic inductance and makes the detectors slow. Here, we solve this problem by aligning the nanowire, contrary to usual choice, perpendicular to the waveguide to realize devices with a length below 1 μm. By integrating the nanowire into a photonic crystal cavity, we recover high absorption efficiency, thus enhancing the detection efficiency by more than an order of magnitude. Our cavity enhanced superconducting nanowire detectors are fully embedded in silicon nanophotonic circuits and efficiently detect single photons at telecom wavelengths. The detectors possess subnanosecond decay (∼120 ps) and recovery times (∼510 ps) and thus show potential for GHz count rates at low timing jitter (∼32 ps). The small absorption volume allows efficient threshold multiphoton detection.
Photonic quantum technologies hold promise to repeat the success of integrated nanophotonic circuits in non-classical applications. Using linear optical elements, quantum optical computations can be performed with integrated optical circuits and can therefore overcome the existing limitations in terms of scalability. In addition to passive optical devices for realizing photonic quantum gates, active elements, such as single-photon sources and single-photon detectors, are essential ingredients for future optical quantum circuits. Material systems that allow for the monolithic integration of all components are particularly attractive, including III-V semiconductors, silicon and diamond. Here, we demonstrate nanophotonic integrated circuits made from high-quality polycrystalline diamond thin films in combination with on-chip single-photon detectors. By using superconducting nanowires that are coupled evanescently to traveling waves, we achieve high detection efficiencies of up to 66% as well as low dark count rates and a timing resolution of 190 ps. Our devices are fully scalable and hold promise for functional diamond photonic quantum devices. The development of on-chip quantum circuitry progresses with the integration of single-photon detectors with diamond nanophotonic waveguides. Researchers based in Germany at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Solid State Physics have fabricated superconducting niobium nitride nanowire detectors directly on top of diamond rib waveguides. This traveling wave design means that photons propagating in the diamond waveguides are coupled evanescently to the superconducting nanowires, allowing efficent on-chip detection of single photons. The small footprints of the detectors allow hundreds of detector circuits to be realized on a single chip. Furthermore, their fast response (they have a decay time of just 5.1 nanoseconds) allows operation at count rates of up to 200 megahertz and with a timing resolution of 190 picoseconds.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) provide high efficiency for detecting individual photons while keeping dark counts and timing jitter minimal. Besides superior detection performance over a broad optical bandwidth, compatibility with an integrated optical platform is a crucial requirement for applications in emerging quantum photonic technologies. Here we present SNSPDs embedded in nanophotonic integrated circuits which achieve internal quantum efficiencies close to unity at 1550 nm wavelength. This allows for the SNSPDs to be operated at bias currents far below the critical current where unwanted dark count events reach milli-Hz levels while on-chip detection efficiencies above 70% are maintained. The measured dark count rates correspond to noise-equivalent powers in the 10(-19) W/Hz(-1/2) range and the timing jitter is as low as 35 ps. Our detectors are fully scalable and interface directly with waveguide-based optical platforms.
Single photon technology is enabling for quantum communication and processing. Combining single photon sources, routing circuitry and highly efficient detectors in a high yield, low-loss and scalable fashion represent today a major challenge. Nanophotonic devices allow for the realization of on-chip small footprint architectures for generating, manipulating and detecting single photons. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors are today state-of-the art devices capable of detecting single photons propagating in an integrated photonic circuit with high efficiency, speed and low timing uncertainty. Their excellent metrics in the near-infrared allows to directly interface on-chip devices with existing C-Band communication technology systems. To move towards high communication speed, efficient detectors able to sustain Gcps count rate are desirable. Here we present the design process and the experimental characterization of a new generation of fast detectors, consisting of µm-long NbN superconducting nanowires embedded in a SOI two-dimensional photonic crystal cavity. Almost 70% efficiency at telecommunication wavelengths has been achieved with negligible dark counts and sub-ns recovery time, which could enable Gcps count rates.