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arXiv:1903.00805 · Nature Communications

Energy-level quantization and single-photon control of phase slips in YBa2Cu3O7–x nanowires

M. Lyatti, M. A. Wolff, I. Gundareva, M. Kruth, S. Ferrari, R. E. Dunin-Borkowski, Carsten Schuck

Published Feb 7, 2020• 45 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Significant progress has been made in superconducting quantum circuits. However new quantum devices that have longer decoherence times at higher temperatures are urgently required for quantum technologies. Superconducting nanowires with quantum phase slips are promising candidates for use in novel quantum devices. Here, we demonstrate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x nanowires with phase-slip dynamics and study their switching-current statistics at temperatures below 20 K. We apply theoretical models developed for Josephson junctions and show that our results provide strong evidence for energy-level quantization in the nanowires. The crossover temperature to the quantum regime of 12–13 K and the lifetime in the excited state exceeding 20 ms at 5.4 K are superior to those in conventional Josephson junctions. We also show how the absorption of a single photon changes the phase-slip and quantum state of a nanowire, which is important for the development of single-photon detectors with high operating temperature and superior temporal resolution.

DOI
10.1038/s41467-020-14548-x

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Abstract Significant progress has been made in superconducting quantum circuits. However new quantum devices that have longer decoherence times at higher temperatures are urgently required for quantum technologies. Superconducting nanowires with quantum phase slips are promising candidates for use in novel quantum devices. Here, we demonstrate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x nanowires with phase-slip dynamics and study their switching-current statistics at temperatures below 20 K. We apply theoretical models developed for Josephson junctions and show that our results provide strong evidence for energy-level quantization in the nanowires. The crossover temperature to the quantum regime of 12–13 K and the lifetime in the excited state exceeding 20 ms at 5.4 K are superior to those in conventional Josephson junctions. We also show how the absorption of a single photon changes the phase-slip and quantum state of a nanowire, which is important for the development of single-photon detectors with high operating temperature and superior temporal resolution.
The superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) is currently one of the best detectors with comprehensive performance in the mid-infrared wavelength, which has been widely used in quantum optics, LiDAR, and biological fluorescence detection. To develop new devices with excellent performance, the photon detection mechanism of SNSPD still needs further research. Here we find that the single quantum phase slip is the dominating mechanism leading to dark-count and photon-response events in SNSPD below the quantum temperature. We fabricate the nanowire with a length of 7.5 μm and a width of 25 nm using niobium nitride film with a thickness of 5 nm. The distribution of the superconducting switching current is measured as a function of temperature at temperatures ranging from 0.3 to 7 K. We observe single quantum phase slips in the nanowire at the temperature below 1.2 K, and we further investigate the quantitative relationship between the single quantum phase slip rate and the superconducting switching rate of the nanowire under the laser illumination. Experimental results show that the single quantum phase slip is a significant factor leading to photon response and dark counts in the nanowire below the quantum temperature. Our research helps to further reveal the photon detection mechanism of the SNSPD, laying a theoretical foundation for the development of high-performance SNSPD.
The intrinsic mechanism of absorbing photons in superconductors reveals the interaction between photons and Cooper pairs, which is of great significance for developing new superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). Here we propose a photon-assisted phase slip model to describe the interaction mechanism between photons and superconductors. In this model, incident photons destroy large quantities of Cooper pairs and reduce the free-energy barrier of the phase slip, resulting in proliferation in the phase slip events and leading to superconducting transition. The switching rates from the superconducting state of a niobium nitride nanowire under various photon irradiation and temperatures are calculated through the distribution of switching currents in the experiment. The experimental data can be well fitted by our deduced expression of phase slip rate after eliminating the influence of external noise.
Quantum phase slips (QPS) or the macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) of a nanowire’s order parameter through an activation energy barrier have remained the subject of intense debate for many years. They are expected to occur at low enough temperature where thermally activated phase slips (TAPS) have been frozen out in analogy with Josephson junctions where the macroscopic tunneling of phase at low temperatures has been conclusively experimentally demonstrated. We address this question by following a similar experimental strategy to that employed for establishing MQT in JJs. By measuring switching current distributions, we can probe the phase slip rate and determine if it corresponds to thermal activation or quantum tunneling. Having established that the behavior we see is consistent with being in the quantum regime, we can alter properties of the nanowires and see if the response is consistent with the expectations of the quantum model. To do this we employ an in-situ modification technique using high bias voltage pulses. Using these pulses, we can change resistance, critical temperature, critical current and morphology of the nanowire. We can also change the shunting capacitance of the nanowire by altering the photolithography step used to create the nanowires electrodes. The resulting response of the nanowires agrees well with being in the quantum tunneling dominated regime. An interesting side benefit of the pulsing technique is that we can exactly set the nanowires switching current to a desired value. This may be instrumental in the development of superconducting nanowire qubits.
Phase slip is the intrinsic fluctuation of the order parameter and leads to the dissipation of superconductors. Here we propose a photon-assisted phase-slip model in superconducting nanowires to explain the phase-slip rate under photon irradiation. In this phenomenological model, incident photons destroy large quantities of Cooper pairs and reduce the free-energy barrier of phase slips, resulting in proliferation in the phase-slip events and leading to superconducting transition. The switching rates from the superconducting state of a niobium nitride nanowire under various photon irradiation (4.4 mW/m2{}^{2}2--4.4 W/m2{}^{2}2) and temperatures (2.3--3.7 K) are investigated through the distribution of switching currents in the experiment. The experimental data can be well fitted by our deduced expression of phase-slip rate after eliminating the influence of external noise. Our model develops the phase-slip theory under incident photons and is promising to reveal the intrinsic detection mechanism of the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector.
Abstract Quantum phase slip (QPS) is the fundamental manifestation of macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT). We measure the distribution of the switching current I sw in quasi-one-dimensional superconducting NbN nanowires in the temperature range of 0.2–5.1 K. The escape temperature T esc extracted from the I sw distributions exhibits saturation at temperatures below 1.2 K, indicating a transition into the MQT state. We investigate the single-photon response of the nanowire and find that the QPS rate increases with incident light power in the MQT state. We propose the photon-enhanced quantum phase-slip model, which establishes a quantitative relationship between the quantum phase-slip rate and the incident photon energy, generalizing the phase-slip dynamics into the photon-induced non-equilibrium MQT regime.
The phenomenon of coherent quantum phase-slips (CQPS) in superconducting nanowires was some time ago proposed to be the exact dual of the Josephson effect, a proposal accompanied by predictions of a new quantum current standard dual to the Josephson voltage standard. Unambiguous experimental observation of CQPS in nanowire structures has only recently been achieved through microwave spectroscopy which showed an avoided crossing between flux states for a superconducting ring interrupted by a superconducting nanowire. This observation raises expectations that the CQPS quantum current standard and a slew of CQPS devices dual to devices containing Josephson junction might be realised, including a tunable capacitance, a sensitive charge detector and small-signal detector. To date, experimental evidence for CQPS in a dc transport geometry has not been considered conclusive, and the impact of decoherence in CQPS devices still remains to be evaluated. We present experimental work which has enabled us to crystallise pertinent issues which have prevented the realisation of CQPS in dc transport experiments to date.