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Optics Express

Experimental study of high sensitivity infrared spectrometer with waveguide-based up-conversion detector^1

Lijun Ma, Oliver Slattery, Xiao Hong Tang

Published Jul 31, 2009• 60 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have developed an up-conversion spectrometer for signals at single photon levels near the infrared region based on a tunable up-conversion detector that uses a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide as the conversion medium. We also experimentally studied its characteristics including sensitivity, dark count rate, spectral scan speed, signal transfer function of the waveguide, and polarization sensitivity. The overall single photon detection efficiency of the up-conversion spectrometer is about 32%. With its ultra high sensitivity the spectrometer can measure spectra for signals at a level as low as -126 dBm. We have demonstrated the spectrometers high sensitivity by measuring the spectrum of a greatly attenuated multimode emission from a laser diode at the 1310 nm band.

DOI
10.1364/oe.17.014395

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We have developed an up-conversion spectrometer for signals at single photon levels near the infrared region based on a tunable up-conversion detector that uses a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide as the conversion medium. We also experimentally studied its characteristics including sensitivity, dark count rate, spectral scan speed, signal transfer function of the waveguide, and polarization sensitivity. The overall single photon detection efficiency of the up-conversion spectrometer is about 32%. With its ultra high sensitivity the spectrometer can measure spectra for signals at a level as low as -126 dBm. We have demonstrated the spectrometers high sensitivity by measuring the spectrum of a greatly attenuated multimode emission from a laser diode at the 1310 nm band.
We developed a spectrometer for signals at single photon levels in the near infrared (NIR) region based on a tunable up-conversion detector. This detector uses a 5-cm periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide to convert NIR photons to a shorter wavelength that are then detected by a silicon avalanche photodiode. The sensitivity of this spectrometer is -126 dBm, which is three orders-of-magnitude higher than any commercial optical spectrum analyzer in this wavelength range. Additionally, we use two PPLN waveguides to implement a polarization-independent up-conversion spectrometer, and use it to study a fiber-based quantum communication system.
Quantum information systems are commonly operated in conventional communication bands (1310 and 1550 nm) over an optical fiber to take advantage of low transmission loss. However, the detection and spectral measurement of single photons in these communication bands are limited due to high noise and low sensitivity of single photon detectors in the wavelength ranges. To demonstrate high efficiency detection and high sensitivity spectral measurement, we have implemented a single photon detector and a spectrometer based on frequency up-conversion technology. This detector and spectrometer uses a 5-cm periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide and a tunable pump laser around 1550 nm, to convert signal photons around 1310 to 710 nm. The converted photons are then detected by a silicon-based avalanche photodiode (APD). The overall detection efficiency of the single photon detector is as high as 32%, which is three times higher than commercial InGaAs APDs. The sensitivity of the spectrometer is measured to be −126 dBm, which is at least three orders-of-magnitude better than any commercial optical spectrum analyzer in this wavelength range.
A tunable waveguide-based frequency up-conversion detector is used for single photon level near infrared (IR) spectroscopic measurements. Applications include direct spectroscopic measurement of week near IR signals and remote bi-photon spectroscopy. We have demonstrated direct spectroscopy of single photon near IR signals from a greatly attenuated laser and a single photon source. We further applied the up-conversion spectrometer for frequency correlated bi-photon spectroscopy using a single photon source of non-degenerate photon pairs at 1310 nm (near IR) and 895 nm. In correlated bi-photon spectroscopy, the spectral function at one wavelength range of a remote object can be reproduced by locally measuring another (near IR) wavelength range using the up-conversion spectrometer and monitoring the coincidence counts. A near IR single photon detection efficiency of 32 % has been achieved with the up-conversion spectrometer. The spectral resolution of the system is approximately 0.2 nm at 1310 nm based on the acceptance width of the up-conversion chip used. In bi-photon spectroscopy, the spectral resolution for the correlated photons at 895 nm is approximately 0.1 nm. The sensitivity achieved using the up-conversion detector is -126 dBm at 1310 nm.
We have developed a polarization independent (PI) spectrometer based on frequency up-conversion technology for single photon level spectrum measurement at the fiber communication band. To overcome the polarization dependence of the frequency up-conversion process, we use two periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguides with a polarizing beam splitter. We experimentally study the sensitivity and resolution of the PI up-conversion spectrometer. We demonstrate the spectrometer by way of a spectrum measurement of a single photon level signal in the communication band.