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arXiv:1811.12306 · Optica

Amplitude-multiplexed readout of single photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires

Alessandro Gaggero, Francesco Martini, F. Mattioli, F. Chiarello, Robert Cernansky, Alberto Politi, Roberto Leoni

Published Jun 18, 2019• 63 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The realization of large-scale photonic circuit for quantum optics experiments at telecom wavelengths requires an increasing number of integrated detectors. Superconductive nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) can be easily integrated on chip and they can efficiently detect the light propagating inside waveguides. The thermal budget of cryostats poses a limit on the maximum number of elements that can be integrated on the same chip due to the thermal impact of the readout electronics. In this paper, we propose and implement a novel scheme able for an efficient reading of several SNSPDs with only one readout port, enabling the realization of photonic circuits with a large number of modes.

DOI
10.1364/optica.6.000823

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The realization of large-scale photonic circuit for quantum optics experiments at telecom wavelengths requires an increasing number of integrated detectors. Superconductive nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) can be easily integrated on chip and they can efficiently detect the light propagating inside waveguides. The thermal budget of cryostats poses a limit on the maximum number of elements that can be integrated on the same chip due to the thermal impact of the readout electronics. In this paper, we propose and implement a novel scheme able for an efficient reading of several SNSPDs with only one readout port, enabling the realization of photonic circuits with a large number of modes.
Integrated arrays of Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) have shown capabilities such as Photon Number Resolution, single photon imaging and coincidences detection, and can be effectively used also in other different applications related to quantum optics. The growing complexity of such applications requires the use of multiplexing schemes for the simultaneous readout of different detectors. A simple multiplexing scheme can be realized by arranging a series of SNSPDs elements, shunted by appropriate resistances. The goal of this work is to investigate and optimize this scheme, developing a general method able to identify the optimal sets of shunting resistences for any different application. The methodology obtained is very general, and can be extended to other detection systems.
Integration of photon number resolving superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (PNR-SNSPDs) with nanophotonic waveguides is a key technology that enables a broad range of quantum technologies on chip-scale platforms. However, all on-chip integrated SNSPDs are fabricated above the waveguide layer, which makes the characteristics of the detector’s photoresponsive film material only depend on the waveguide material, thus lowering the waveguide selectivity. Here, we report an on-chip integrated SNSPD based on optimized topology that the nanowire is sandwiched between the waveguide and the substrate. This device maintains the film characteristics with different waveguides and the light transmitted from the upper waveguide to the substrate is absorbed by the film, which not only increases the selectivity of the waveguide, but also improves light absorption of SNSPD. As an example, SiO2 waveguide with the lower optical transmission loss was fabricated in an integrated PNR-SNSPD. We proposed a multi-channel photon response amplitude superposition multiplexing scheme, which realized photon detection by integrating SNSPD on the optical transmission waveguide in the photonic integrated circuit. The solution not only can effectively read the photon responses of multiple SNSPDs through a readout port, but also can distinguish the number of photons and the corresponding response channels through the amplitude of the readout circuit, thereby realizing a photonic integrated circuit with multiple modes. Finally, we prepared a 4-channel integrated PNR-SNSPD, which resolved the number of photons and corresponding photon response positions through 16 different signal amplitudes. This result is compatible of a wide range of waveguide materials, overcoming the limitation of single photon detector integrated on waveguide for quantum photonic integrated circuit.
Fast and efficient detection of single photons with high timing accuracy is a crucial requirement in most quantum optics experiments and enables novel sensing and imaging solutions. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) achieve technology-leading performance in terms of detection efficiency, dark count rate, timing jitter, and detector dead times. However, conventional SNSPDs with high system detection efficiency typically rely on resonant enhancement of the absorption efficiency, thus only achieving attractive detector benchmarks over narrow spectral windows. Waveguide-integrated SNSPDs allow for leveraging the wideband material absorption in superconducting nanowires by absorbing light in a traveling-wave geometry but have been limited to low system detection efficiencies due to interface losses when coupling to optical fibers. Here, we show how high system detection efficiencies of 22%–73% are realized over a broad wavelength range from 532 nm to 1640 nm in a single waveguide-integrated SNSPD device. We accomplish efficient coupling between optical fibers and waveguide-integrated nanowire detectors by employing a 3D interface, produced in direct laser writing, that relies on total internal reflection for achieving a broad transmission bandwidth. We further find low timing jitter of 25.7 ps and detector decay times of 9.8 ns, allowing for single-photon counting with high repetition rates up to 100 MHz. Our work paves the way for an efficient single-photon detector solution that combines the spectral requirements of an extremely wide range of quantum optics experiments in a single device. The coupling approach and SNSPD-integration with nanophotonic circuits are further well-suited for realizing large-scale detector arrays.
Photonic-integrated circuits have emerged as a scalable platform for complex quantum systems. A central goal is to integrate single-photon detectors to reduce optical losses, latency and wiring complexity associated with off-chip detectors. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are particularly attractive because of high detection efficiency, sub-50-ps jitter and nanosecond-scale reset time. However, while single detectors have been incorporated into individual waveguides, the system detection efficiency of multiple SNSPDs in one photonic circuit-required for scalable quantum photonic circuits-has been limited to <0.2%. Here we introduce a micrometer-scale flip-chip process that enables scalable integration of SNSPDs on a range of photonic circuits. Ten low-jitter detectors are integrated on one circuit with 100% device yield. With an average system detection efficiency beyond 10%, and estimated on-chip detection efficiency of 14-52% for four detectors operated simultaneously, we demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the first on-chip photon correlation measurements of non-classical light.
The quest to enlarge the capabilities of quantum information experiments based on non-classical states of light has directed the research toward an integrated approach. Thanks to integrated photonics circuits, photons can be efficiently generated, manipulated and detected within the same integrated chip. SNSPDs are the unique detectors that showed an integration compatibility with standard PICs. Nowadays the increasing complexity of integrated quantum optics experiments requires the manipulation of many modes and the simultaneous readout of an increasing number (N) of integrated detectors, thus posing new challenges regarding the simultaneous readout of different channels. In this presentation, we will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of our approach based on the amplitude multiplexing of N active pixels, each one consisting of a SNSPD with in parallel an on-chip AuPd resistor (Ri), to read (measure) simultaneously the output of several optical modes using only one coax cable.