Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) with near-unity system efficiency is a key enabling, but still elusive, technology for numerous quantum fundamental theory verifications and quantum information applications. The key challenge is to have both a near-unity photon-response probability and absorption efficiency simultaneously for the meandered nanowire with a finite filling ratio, which is more crucial for NbN than other superconducting materials (e.g., WSi) with lower transition temperatures. Here, we overcome the above challenge and produce NbN SNSPDs with a record system efficiency by replacing a single-layer nanowire with twin-layer nanowires on a dielectric mirror. The detector at 0.8 K shows a maximal system detection efficiency (SDE) of 98% at 1590 nm and a system efficiency of over 95% in the wavelength range of 1530-1630 nm. Moreover, the detector at 2.1 K demonstrates a maximal SDE of 95% at 1550 nm using a compacted two-stage cryocooler. This type of detector also shows the robustness against various parameters, such as the geometrical size of the nanowire and the spectral bandwidth, enabling a high yield of 73% (36%) with an SDE of >80% (90%) at 2.1 K for 45 detectors fabricated in the same run. These SNSPDs made of twin-layer nanowires are of important practical significance for batch production.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) with near-unity system efficiency is a key enabling, but still elusive, technology for numerous quantum fundamental theory verifications and quantum information applications. The key challenge is to have both a near-unity photon-response probability and absorption efficiency simultaneously for the meandered nanowire with a finite filling ratio, which is more crucial for NbN than other superconducting materials (e.g., WSi) with lower transition temperatures. Here, we overcome the above challenge and produce NbN SNSPDs with a record system efficiency by replacing a single-layer nanowire with twin-layer nanowires on a dielectric mirror. The detector at 0.8 K shows a maximal system detection efficiency (SDE) of 98% at 1590 nm and a system efficiency of over 95% in the wavelength range of 1530-1630 nm. Moreover, the detector at 2.1 K demonstrates a maximal SDE of 95% at 1550 nm using a compacted two-stage cryocooler. This type of detector also shows the robustness against various parameters, such as the geometrical size of the nanowire and the spectral bandwidth, enabling a high yield of 73% (36%) with an SDE of >80% (90%) at 2.1 K for 45 detectors fabricated in the same run. These SNSPDs made of twin-layer nanowires are of important practical significance for batch production.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are an enabling technology for myriad quantum-optics experiments that require high-efficiency detection, large count rates, and precise timing resolution. The system detection efficiencies (SDEs) for fiber-coupled SNSPDs have fallen short of theoretical predictions of near unity by at least 7%, with the discrepancy being attributed to scattering, material absorption, and other SNSPD dynamics. We optimize the design and fabrication of an all-dielectric layered stack and fiber coupling package in order to achieve 98.0 ± 0.5 % SDE, measured for single-mode-fiber guided photons derived from a highly attenuated 1550 nm continuous-wave laser. This enforces a smaller bound on the scattering and absorption losses in such systems and opens the use of SNSPDs for scenarios that demand high-SDE for throughput and fidelity.
Implementations of quantum information require single-photon detectors (SPDs) with high detection efficiency (DE) at a wavelength of 940 nm, which is a challenge for the available semiconducting SPDs. Superconducting nanowire SPDs (SNSPDs) are capable of detecting visible and near-infrared single photons with high DE. However, these detection capabilities place stringent design requirements on the cavity and nanowire geometry structures. We design, fabricate, and measure SNSPDs with high DE optimized for the 940-nm wavelength. The NbN SNSPDs were fabricated on 1-D photonic crystals for high optical absorptance. By tuning the filling factor of the nanowire through numerical simulations and experiments, we were able to obtain an SNSPD (7 nm thick, 125 nm width, and 0.57 filling factor, as well as active area of18∗18μm) with a saturated system DE of 83.6$\pm3.7\pm$0.02. To our best knowledge, this is the highest value reported for NbN SNSPDs at 940-nm wavelength. The availability of an SNSPD with high system DE at 940 nm may have a profound impact in the field of photonic quantum technologies, such as multiphoton entanglement.
High-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), which have numerous applications in quantum information systems, function by using the optical cavity and the ultrasensitive photon response of their ultra-thin superconducting nanowires. However, the wideband response of superconducting nanowires is limited due to the resonance of the traditional optical cavity. Here, we report on a supercontinuum SNSPD that can efficiently detect single photons over an ultra-broad spectral range from visible to mid-infrared light. Our detection approach relies on using multiple cavities with well-separated absorbed resonances formed by fabricating multilayer superconducting nanowires on metallic mirrors with silica acting as spacer layers. Thus, we are able to extend the absorption spectral bandwidth while maintaining considerable efficiency, as opposed to a conventional single-layer SNSPD. Our calculations show that the proposed supercontinuum SNSPD exhibits an extended absorption bandwidth with increased nanowire layers. Its absorption efficiency is greater than 70% over the entire range from 400 to 2500 nm (or 400 to 3000 nm), when using two-layer (or three-layer) nanowires. As a proof of principle, the SNSPD with bilayer nanowires is fabricated based on the proposed detector architecture with simplified geometrical parameters. The detector achieves broadband detection efficiency over 60% from 950 to 1650 nm. This type of detector may replace multiple narrow band detectors in a system and find uses in the emerging and rapidly advancing field of atomic and molecular broadband spectroscopy.
Shortly after their inception, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) became the leading quantum light detection technology. With the capability of detecting single-photons with near-unity efficiency, high time resolution, low dark count rate, and fast recovery time, SNSPDs outperform conventional single-photon detection techniques. However, detecting lower energy single photons ( < 0.8 eV ) with high efficiency and low timing jitter has remained a challenge. To achieve unity internal efficiency at mid-infrared wavelengths, previous works used amorphous superconducting materials with low energy gaps at the expense of reduced time resolution (close to a nanosecond), and by operating them in complex milliKelvin (mK) dilution refrigerators. In this work, we provide an alternative approach with SNSPDs fabricated from 5 to 9.5 nm thick NbTiN superconducting films and devices operated in conventional Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers. By optimizing the superconducting film deposition process, film thickness, and nanowire design, our fiber-coupled devices achieved > 70 % system detection efficiency (SDE) at 2 μm and sub-15 ps timing jitter. Furthermore, detectors from the same batch demonstrated unity internal detection efficiency at 3 μm and 80% internal efficiency at 4 μm, paving the road for an efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection technology with unparalleled time resolution and without mK cooling requirements. We also systematically studied the dark count rates (DCRs) of our detectors coupled to different types of mid-infrared optical fibers and blackbody radiation filters. This offers insight into the trade-off between bandwidth and DCRs for mid-infrared SNSPDs. To conclude, this paper significantly extends the working wavelength range for SNSPDs made from polycrystalline NbTiN to 1.5–4 μm, and we expect quantum optics experiments and applications in the mid-infrared range to benefit from this far-reaching technology.
Shortly after their inception, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) became the leading quantum light detection technology. With the capability of detecting single-photons with near-unity efficiency, high time resolution, low dark count rate, and fast recovery time, SNSPDs outperform conventional single-photon detection techniques. However, detecting lower energy single-photons (<0.8 eV) with high efficiency and low timing jitter has remained a challenge. To achieve unity internal efficiency at mid-infrared wavelengths, previous works used amorphous superconducting materials with low energy gaps at the expense of reduced time resolution (close to a nanosecond), and by operating them in complex mK dilution refrigerators. In this work, we provide an alternative approach with SNSPDs fabricated from 5-9.5 nm thick NbTiN superconducting films and devices operated in conventional Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers. By optimizing the superconducting film deposition process, film thickness and nanowire design, our fiber-coupled devices achieved > 70% system detection efficiency (SDE) at 2 μm and sub-15 ps timing jitter. Furthermore, detectors from the same batch demonstrated unity internal detection efficiency at 3 μm and 80% internal efficiency at 4 μm, paving the road for an efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection technology with unparalleled time resolution and without mK cooling requirements.
Broadband photon detectors are a key enabling technology for various applications such as spectrometers, light detection and ranging. In this work, we report on an ultra-broadband single-photon detector based on a microfiber (MF)-coupled superconducting nanowires structure operating in the spectral range from visible to near-infrared light. The MF-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is formed by placing an MF on top of superconducting niobium nitride (NbN) nanowires, allowing ultra-broadband photon detection due to their nearly lossless transmission/absorption and nearly unity internal efficiency for ultra-broad waveband. The simulation results indicate that with optimal device structure, the optical absorption with efficiency > 90% can be realized over a wavelength range of 350 nm to 2150 nm. The fabricated MF-coupled SNSPD shows unparalleled broadband system detection efficiencies (SDEs) of more than 50% from 630 nm to 1500 nm. The SDEs reach 66% at 785 nm and 45% at 1550 nm. These results pave the way for ultra-broadband weak light detection with quantum-limit sensitivity.