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arXiv:1807.07709 · Physical Review Applied

Minimal Timing Jitter in Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

Denis Yu. Vodolazov

Published Jan 9, 2019• 32 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The results of this theoretical study are important for applications dealing with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), which include quantum information processing. The author shows that the variation in delay time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{d}$ (timing jitter) of the voltage response after absorption of a single photon, connected to either position-dependent response or variation in the energy deposited to electrons, could be as small as 1 ps when the current in the superconducting strip approaches the depairing current. Reducing this jitter is a main topic of SNSPD research, and understanding the origins of these variations is necessary to that end.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.11.014016

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The results of this theoretical study are important for applications dealing with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), which include quantum information processing. The author shows that the variation in delay time \ensuremathτd{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{d}\ensuremathτd​ (timing jitter) of the voltage response after absorption of a single photon, connected to either position-dependent response or variation in the energy deposited to electrons, could be as small as 1 ps when the current in the superconducting strip approaches the depairing current. Reducing this jitter is a main topic of SNSPD research, and understanding the origins of these variations is necessary to that end.
The topic of latency in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs, the fastest type of such sensors) is of interest for understanding the absolute limits of timing performance in these devices, but so far no model of the detection mechanism could quantitatively explain recent measurements of intrinsic jitter and latency. This analysis of the connection between detector latency and timing jitter in the presence of Fano fluctuations and spatial nonuniformity provides a framework for studying the intrinsic jitter in SNSPDs, and suggests that intrinsic jitter could be reduced by enhancing scattering to suppress superconductivity as quickly as possible.
Low timing jitter is a unique merit of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) for time-correlated applications. Quantitative analysis was performed for the SNSPD system. Aided by an oscilloscope with an optimal signal amplitude, we were able to measure a full width at half-maximum system timing jitter as low as 14.2 ps for a high-switching-current SNSPD using a room-temperature low-noise amplifier. When using a time-correlated single-photon counting module, the system timing jitter was 17.3 ps. The detector's intrinsic timing jitter was estimated at ∼12.0 ps.
Jitter is one of the key parameters for a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD). Using an optimized time-correlated single photon counting system for jitter measurement, we extensively studied the dependence of system jitter on the bias current and working temperature. The signal-to-noise ratio of the single-photon-response pulse was proven to be an important factor in system jitter. The final system jitter was reduced to 18 ps by using a high-critical-current SNSPD, which showed an intrinsic SNSPD jitter of 15 ps. A laser ranging experiment using a 15-ps SNSPD achieved a record depth resolution of 3 mm at a wavelength of 1550 nm.
We investigate the timing properties of single-photon-triggered vortex (or anti-vortex) crossing in a current-biased superconducting nanowire and find that the time delays caused in the vortex-crossing process vary with the transverse positions on the nanowire where the photons are absorbed. The position-dependent time delays indicate that the vortex-crossing process induces timing jitter of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD). The magnitude of this timing jitter further depends on various parameters, including the polarization of the incident photon, the bias current, and the width of the nanowire. This vortex-crossing-induced timing jitter might represent the lower bound of the timing jitter of the SNSPD and fundamentally limit its time-resolving capability.
In recent years, Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) have obtained tremendous attention as a possible key technology for photonic quantum processing and faint light detection. Here, we present our recent progress on engineering of the properties of NbTiN SNSPDs fabricated on various substrates measured. We discuss approaches to simultaneously improve the most important figures of merit (DCR, dead time, timing jitter, efficiency) as well as efficient characterization methods. Specifically, for the latter we investigate the impact of the substrate material on the performance parameters as well as the fundamental interrelation of the resulting voltage pulse properties, such as pulse height, rise time and timing jitter, and their dependence on the applied bias current.
Recent progress in the development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) has delivered excellent performance and has had a great impact on a range of research fields. The timing jitter, which denotes the temporal resolution of the detection, is a crucial parameter for many applications. Despite extensive work since their apparition, the lowest jitter achievable with SNSPDs is still not clear, and the origin of the intrinsic limits is not fully understood. Understanding its intrinsic behavior and limits is a mandatory step toward improvements. Here, we report our experimental study on the intrinsically-limited timing jitter in molybdenum silicide SNSPDs. We show that to reach intrinsic jitter, crucial properties such as the latching current and the kinetic inductance of the devices have to be understood. The dependence on the nanowire thickness and the energy dependence of the intrinsic jitter are quantified, and the origin of the limits is exhibited. System timing jitter of 6.0 ps at 532 nm and 10.6 ps at 1550 nm photon wavelength has been obtained.