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Simulation Of Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detector With Circuit Modeling

Seyed Ali Sedigh Zyabari, Abbas Zarifkar

Published Mar 27, 2008• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Single photon detectors have been fabricated NbN nano wire. These detectors are fabricated from high quality, ultra high vacuum sputtered NbN thin films on a sapphire substrate. In this work a typical schematic of the nanowire Single Photon Detector structure and then driving and measurement electronic circuit are shown. The response of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors during a photo detection event, is modeled by a special electrical circuits (two circuit). Finally, current through the wire is calculated by solving equations of models.

DOI
10.5281/zenodo.1084817

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Single photon detectors have been fabricated NbN nano wire. These detectors are fabricated from high quality, ultra high vacuum sputtered NbN thin films on a sapphire substrate. In this work a typical schematic of the nanowire Single Photon Detector structure and then driving and measurement electronic circuit are shown. The response of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors during a photo detection event, is modeled by a special electrical circuits (two circuit). Finally, current through the wire is calculated by solving equations of models.
We have fabricated and tested single photon detectors based on a current biased superconducting niobium nanowire patterned into a meander. The detectors are fabricated from high quality, ultra high vacuum sputtered niobium thin films on a sapphire substrate. For detection of single optical photons, we show that the superconductor's intrinsic kinetic inductance does not limit the reset time of the detector, which is ≈ 2 nanoseconds, in contrast to the longer reset times seen in niobium nitride detectors of similar size and geometry. We also describe a readout scheme for photon counting that is unique to Nb due to its lower resistivity. These detectors have applications in imaging of infrared photoemission from CMOS logic circuits as well as in optical communications and quantum information processing.
We modeled the response of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors during a photodetection event, taking into consideration only the thermal and electrical properties of a superconducting NbN nanowire on a sapphire substrate. Our calculations suggest that heating which occurs after the formation of a photo-induced resistive barrier is responsible for the generation of a measurable voltage pulse. We compared this numerical result with experimental data of a voltage pulse from a slow device, i.e. large kinetic inductance, and obtained a good fit. Using this electro-thermal model, we estimated the temperature rise and the resistance buildup in the nanowire, and the return current at which the nanowire becomes superconducting again. We also show that the reset time of these photodetectors can be decreased by the addition of a series resistance and provide supporting experimental data. Finally we present preliminary results on a detector latching behavior that can also be explained using the electro-thermal model.
Superconducting nanowires used in single-photon detectors have been realized on amorphous or poly-crystalline films. Here, we report the first use of single-crystalline NbN thin films for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). Grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at high temperature on nearly lattice-matched AlN-on-sapphire substrates, the NbN films exhibit a high degree of uniformity and homogeneity. Even with relatively thick films, the fabricated nanowire detectors show saturated internal efficiency at near-IR wavelengths, demonstrating the potential of MBE-grown NbN for realizing large arrays of on-chip SNSPDs and their integration with AlN-based χ(2) quantum photonic circuits.
We fabricated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) made of NbTiN and NbN thin films in the same fabrication batch. Various parameters, such as critical temperature, resistivity, switching current, and kinetic inductance, were compared between the two types of SNSPDs. These data indicate that NbTiN SNSPD surpasses NbN SNSPD in many aspects, including a shorter recovery time due to smaller kinetic inductance, a lower timing jitter due to higher switching current, and better uniformity. Based on the measurement of 28 out of 121 NbTiN SNSPDs on a 2-in Si wafer, 71% of detectors show a system detection efficiency of over 50% at a dark count rate of 100 Hz, with the maximum efficiency being 77.5%.
Superconducting single photon detectors consist of a narrow and thin wire of superconductor and can detect single photons with high efficiency and high speed. Simultaneous optimization of the detection efficiency and detector response time is difficult because the response time is set by the dimensions of the wire (cross section and length) while the detection efficiency is determined by both the internal detection mechanism and the dimensions of the wire. Wider and shorter wires are easier to fabricate, are more robust and lead to shorter detector reset time, but are generally less efficient. Experiments employing detector tomography provide important insights into the photon detection mechanism and indicate a detection mechanism where the edges of the wire are more efficient. This leads to a position dependent local detection efficiency that can be explained in the context of a photon-assisted-vortex-entry model and predicts an optimum wire width ~70 nm. A 50 nm wide silicon nanowire deposited on top of a 150 nm wide NbN nanowire directs light at 1550 nm wavelength to the edges and improves both the total absorption efficiency and the internal detection efficiency of the wire. The total absorption efficiency can be enhanced by 30% while the internal detection efficiency is increased by 70%. Assuming that the wire covers a similar area the detector response time is reduced 4-fold compared to the standard design using a 70 nm wide wire.
Nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) consist of a superconducting wire of nanoscale cross-section [1], typically 4×100 nm2. A current close to the device critical current renders the nanowire sensitive to single photons. SSPDs are known for their high efficiency, low jitter, low dark count rate and fast reset time. An important challenge for future application of SSPDs is to extend the useful wavelength range towards the infrared without comprising detector speed or dark count rate. To this end, we explore optical designs with wider nanowires that utilize efficient detection of single photons at the edge of the nanowire. Silicon nanowires on top of a NbN nanowire increase both the calculated total absorption and the internal detection efficiency significantly compared to a standard meandering wire geometry.