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arXiv:1306.3749 · Journal of Applied Physics

Investigations of afterpulsing and detection efficiency recovery in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Viacheslav Burenkov, He Xu, Bing Qi, Robert H. Hadfield, Hoi‐Kwong Lo

Published Jun 3, 2013• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report on the observation of a non-uniform dark count rate in Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs), specifically focusing on an afterpulsing effect present when the SNSPD is operated at a high bias current regime. The afterpulsing exists for real detection events (triggered by input photons) as well as for dark counts (no laser input). In our standard set-up, the afterpulsing is most likely to occur at around 180 ns following a detection event, for both real counts and dark counts. We characterize the afterpulsing behavior and speculate that it is not due to the SNSPD itself but rather the amplifiers used to boost the electrical output signal from the SNSPD. We show that the afterpulsing indeed disappears when we use a different amplifier with a better low frequency response. We also examine the short-lived enhancement of detection efficiency during the recovery of the SNSPD due to temporary perturbation of the bias and grounding conditions.

DOI
10.1063/1.4807833

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We report on the observation of a non-uniform dark count rate in Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs), specifically focusing on an afterpulsing effect present when the SNSPD is operated at a high bias current regime. The afterpulsing exists for real detection events (triggered by input photons) as well as for dark counts (no laser input). In our standard set-up, the afterpulsing is most likely to occur at around 180 ns following a detection event, for both real counts and dark counts. We characterize the afterpulsing behavior and speculate that it is not due to the SNSPD itself but rather the amplifiers used to boost the electrical output signal from the SNSPD. We show that the afterpulsing indeed disappears when we use a different amplifier with a better low frequency response. We also examine the short-lived enhancement of detection efficiency during the recovery of the SNSPD due to temporary perturbation of the bias and grounding conditions.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are an attractive technology for applications which benefit from high-count rate photon detection such as quantum communication protocols, photon-starved classical communications, metrology of single-emitters, and photonic quantum computing. However, at high-count rates, a significant portion of photons may be incident during recovery intervals following prior detection events. After detection, the device efficiency recovers over nanoseconds to tens of nanoseconds before reaching a steadystate value. Therefore, for a given SNSPD bias current setpoint, a single efficiency and recovery time specification may not be sufficient to characterize the performance of a device at high count rates. Here we present and experimentally validate a model of the recovery time as a function of bias current for any given system efficiency. These results may be used to improve analysis of measurements performed using SNSPDs operating in the high count rate regime.
Counting rate is a key parameter of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) and is determined by the current recovery time of an SNSPD after a detection event. We propose a new method to study the transient detection efficiency (DE) and pulse amplitude during the current recovery process by statistically analyzing the single photon response of an SNSPD under photon illumination with a high repetition rate. The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event. This proves that the static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event. The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.
A new method to study the transient detection efficiency(DE) and pulse amplitude of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors(SNSPD) during the current recovery process is proposed — statistically analyzing the single photon response under photon illumination with a high repetition rate.The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event.This proves that static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event.The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.
Today Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are commonly used in different photon-starved applications, including testing and diagnostics of VLSI circuits. Detecting very faint signals in the near-infrared wavelength range requires not only good detection efficiency, but also very low Dark Count Rate (DCR) and jitter. For example, low noise is crucial to enable ultra-low voltage optical testing of integrated circuits. The effect of detector temperature and background thermal radiation on the noise of superconducting single-photon detectors made of NbN meanders is studied in this paper. It is shown that two different regimes can be identified in the DCR vs. bias current characteristics. At high bias, the dark count rate is dominated by the intrinsic noise of the detector, while at low bias current it is dominated by the detection of stray photons that get onto the SNSPD. Changing the detector temperature changes its switching current and only affects the high bias branch of the characteristics: a reduction of the DCR can be achieved by lowering the SNSPD base temperature. On the other hand, changing the temperature of the single-photon light source (e.g. the VLSI circuit under test) only affects the low bias regime: a lower target temperature leads to a smaller DCR.
Abstract In this work we present a study of the dark counts rate in a NbTiN Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPD). We measure the distribution of the time intervals elapsed between two consecutive dark pulses at the fixed temperature of 4,2K. Due to the stochastic nature of the dark counts, the distribution is expected to have a Poisson shape but what we observe is a combination of two Poisson-like processes. A further analysis of the distributions dependence on the bias current highlights that the weight of the two process is not constant. In the scenario presented by Ejrnaes et al. [1], this result can confirm that, in this temperature regime, dark counts are generated mainly by multiple consecutive fluctuation events and the contribution to the dark counts rate coming from single fluctuations increases in the high bias current region.
Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) have emerged as a leading choice for high performance single photon detectors due to their low timing jitter, high detection efficiency, and low dark count rates. SNSPDs have typically been biased using a passive quenching scheme in which the bias current of the device is shunted through a resistive load to allow for recovery after a detection event. To prevent latching, the shunting resistor must be approximately an order of magnitude smaller than the peak normal domain resistance of the SNSPD. Consequentially, the pulse amplitude (∝IBRL) and recovery time (∝LK/RL) are both negatively impacted. In this talk, we will describe a novel approach to the bias and read-out of SNSPDs based upon active quenching. We will present detailed design considerations for an active quenching architecture and will show that such an approach has the potential to improve count rates while increasing signal swings to the point where external amplification is no longer required. A silicon germanium (SiGe) active-reset chip design has been designed, implemented, and integrated with a NbTiN SNSPD. The procedure for the SiGe chip design will be described and simulation results will be presented. Finally, detailed measurement results of the complete system will be shown and compared to measurements of the same detector when biased and read-out using a standard passive quenching scheme. It will be shown that the active quenching configuration enables a considerable enhancement to the system performance.