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arXiv:2603.01676

4-Pixel NbN Hot-Electron Bolometer Integrated in a Si$_3$N$_4$ Planar Optical Waveguide with On-Chip Fiber-Alignment Trench

N. A. Vovk, G. A. Matveev, M. A. Mumlyakov, М.В. Шибалов, I. A. Filippov, I. D. Burkov, S. D. Perov, N. V. Porokhov, N. N. Osipov, Michael A. Tarkhov

Published Mar 2, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this work, we design and characterize a 4-pixel superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) based on niobium nitride (NbN), integrated with individual planar silicon nitride (Si$_3$N$_4$) waveguides. The implemented architecture enables simultaneous detection of an optical signal in four independent channels. To efficiently couple optical radiation under cryogenic conditions, we employ an edge (end-fire) coupling approach using dedicated U-shaped grooves that provide accurate and stable positioning of an optical fiber with respect to the on-chip waveguide facet. The device responsivity is measured as a function of the HEB operating point. The measured voltage responsivity reaches $3800~\mathrm{V/W}$ at a modulation frequency of $3~\mathrm{GHz}$. We demonstrate detection of optically modulated signals in the gigahertz range. The developed fabrication route is promising for compact integrated receiver systems and low-noise cryogenic microwave transducers, including superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs).

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2603.01676

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Abstract In this work, we design and characterize a 4-pixel superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) based on niobium nitride (NbN), integrated with individual planar silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) waveguides. The implemented architecture enables simultaneous detection of an optical signal in four independent channels. To efficiently couple optical radiation under cryogenic conditions, we employ an edge (end-fire) coupling approach using dedicated U-shaped grooves that provide accurate and stable positioning of an optical fiber with respect to the on-chip waveguide facet. The device responsivity is measured as a function of the HEB operating point. The measured voltage responsivity reaches 3800 V W − 1 at a modulation frequency of 3 GHz . We demonstrate detection of optically modulated signals in the gigahertz range. The developed fabrication route is promising for compact integrated receiver systems and low-noise cryogenic microwave transducers, including superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.
NbN-based detectors can detect light from the granular regime (single or few photons) up to weak continuous photon fluxes at wavelengths ranging from visible light up to mid-IR. The article reports our recent results on a novel linear detector, the waveguide-integrated hot electron bolometer (HEB) capable to measure photon fluxes of large coherent beams in a regime in which superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) are not efficient due to their strong nonlinearity. SNSPDs, photon number resolving detectors and amplitude multiplexing readout schemes, all integrated on photonic circuits are also discussed in the paper. The compatibility of the integrated HEB detectors with the SNSPDs technology can allow the characterization of complex non classical states of light within the same chip.
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Niobium nitride (NbN) nanowires have a high repetition rate and efficiency, making them ideal for superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). However, it is difficult to fabricate NbN arrays over large areas, which is critical for various applications. This paper describes a 4 × 4 NbN SNSPD array (16 pixels) and optical coupling with a 300-μm-diameter multimode fiber using beam compression technology. This is the first NbN SNSPD coupled with such large-diameter fibers. The designed pixels are positioned as closely as possible (pixel filling factor about 98.5%), almost without dead area between them. This results in a system efficiency of 46% and a quantum efficiency of 94.5% for photons (λ = 1064 nm) coupled from multimode fibers. An intrinsic time resolution of less than 69 ps can be obtained. The proposed high-performance single photon detector is suitable for satellite laser ranging. Furthermore, the proposed system is feasible for large SNSPD arrays with NbN, paving the way for the development of efficient photon cameras with NbN nanowires.
Experimental work on the development of a quasi-optical heterodyne receiver for the THz frequency range is reported. The mixing device is a superconducting hot electron bolometer (HEB) made from ultrathin, d = 3 - 5 nm, niobium nitride (NbN) films. Work described in this thesis comprises: The design of a prototype receiver using quasi-optical coupling. Device fabrication involving reactive magnetron sputtering of NbN films and lithographic definition of the antenna integrated mixer. An investigation of the receiver performance at frequencies between 0.6 THz and 2.5 THz. The best performance is obtained with HEB mixers made from NbN films with a thickness d = 3-3.5 nm and a critical temperature T c = 9 - 9.5 K. Double-side band receiver noise temperatures are 530 K at 0.6 THz, 650 K at 1.6 THz and 1100 K at 2.5 THz. Corrected for losses in the receiver input optics, these values amount to only 10 times the theoretical quantum limit. MgO as the substrate material has been shown to provide improved acoustic coupling between NbN film and the substrate compared to other materials such as Si or sapphire. A maximum IF gain bandwidth of 4.5 GHz has been measured under the same operating conditions which yield lowest noise temperature. The local oscilltor power requirement is ~250 nW absorbed in the bolometer. Quasi-optically coupled HEB mixers have become the device-of-choice for radio astronomical applications in the frequency regime at and above 1 THz.
Low noise terahertz (THz) receivers based on superconducting niobium nitride (NbN) hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers have been designed, fabricated and measured for applications in astronomy and cosmology. The NbN HEB mixer consists of a planar antenna and an NbN bridge connecting across the antenna's inner terminals on a high-resistivity Si substrate. To eliminate the influence of direct detection and instability of the local oscillation (LO) power, a wire grid has been used to change the input LO power for compensating the shift of bias current during Y-factor measurement. The double sideband (DSB) receiver noise temperatures at 4.2K without corrections have been measured from 0.65 to 3.1THz. The excess quantum noise factor β of about 4 has been obtained, which agrees well with the calculated value. Allan variance of the HEB has been characterized, and Allan time TA longer than 0.4s is obtained. We also estimated the temperature resolution of the HEB from the Allan variance and obtained the minimum temperature resolution of 1.1K using a Gunn oscillator with its multipliers at 0.65THz as an LO source.