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AIP conference proceedings

NbN superconducting nanowire photon counters: magnetoconductivity and other detector properties

Andreas Engel, Holger Bartolf, Luis B. Gómez, Alexei D. Semenov, K. Ilin, A. Schilling, Heinz‐Wilhelm Hübers, M. Siegel, Betty Young, Blas Cabrera, Aaron Miller

Published Jan 1, 2009• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We present an analysis of magnetoconductivity measurements on NbN thin films and nanostructures as they are used for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.Especially the temperature-dependence of the fluctuation conductivity near the zero-field transition temperature was studied in detail.Together with complementary measurements of the optical constants of NbN films with varying thickness, strategies for improving the absorptivity in NbN thin films are developed.

DOI
10.1063/1.3292452

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We present an analysis of magnetoconductivity measurements on NbN thin films and nanostructures as they are used for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.Especially the temperature-dependence of the fluctuation conductivity near the zero-field transition temperature was studied in detail.Together with complementary measurements of the optical constants of NbN films with varying thickness, strategies for improving the absorptivity in NbN thin films are developed.
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 report on the development of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) by using NbTiN thin films on single crystal MgO substrates. NbTiN thin films showed fine crystal structure with closer lattice constant to MgO substrates than that of NbN thin films. The transition temperature of 3.5-nm-thick NbTiN films was comparable to, and the resistivity at 20 K was lower than NbN thin films. The kinetic inductance of NbTiN-SNSPDs was ∼25% lower than that of NbN-SNSPD, and system detection efficiency was 1.4% at a 1550 nm wavelength, which is comparable to NbN-SNSPDs.
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%.
Nanoscopic superconducting meander patterns offer great promise as a new class of cryogenic radiation sensors capable of single photon detection. To realize this potential, control of the superconducting properties on the nanoscale is imperative. To this end, Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are under development by means Energetic Neutral Atom Beam Lithography and Epitaxy, or ENABLE. ENABLE can growth highly-crystalline, epitaxial thin-film materials, like NbN, at low temperatures; such wide-ranging control of fabrication parameters is enabling the optimization of film properties for single photon detection. T{sub c}, H{sub c2}, {zeta}{sub GL} and J{sub c} of multiple thin films and devices have been studied as a function of growth conditions. The optimization of which has already produced devices with properties rivaling all reports in the existing literature.
At the present time, ultrahigh performance superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are the key elements in a variety of devices from biological research to quantum communications and computing. Accurate tuning of superconducting material properties is a powerful resource for fabricating single-photon detectors with desired properties. Here, we report on the major theoretical relations between ultrathin niobium nitride (NbN) film properties and superconducting nanowire single-photon detector characteristics, as well as the dependence of ultrathin NbN film properties on reactive magnetron sputtering recipes. Based on this study, we formulate the exact requirements for ultrathin NbN films for ultrahigh performance superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. Then, we experimentally studied the properties of ultrathin NbN films (morphology, crystalline structure, critical temperature, and sheet resistance) on silicon, sapphire, silicon dioxide, and silicon nitride substrates sputtered with various recipes. We demonstrate ultrathin NbN films (obtained with more than 100 films deposition) with a wide range of critical temperature from 2.5 to 12.1 K and sheet resistance from 285 to 2000 Ω/sq and report a sheet resistance evolution of more than 40% within two years. Finally, we found out that one should use ultrathin NbN films with a specific critical temperature near 9.5 K and a sheet resistance of about 350 Ω/sq for ultrahigh performance state-of-the-art superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors at 1550 nm wavelength.
We demonstrate high-performance nanowire superconducting single photon detectors (SSPDs) on bN thin films grown at a temperature compatible with monolithic integration. NbN films ranging from 150 nm to 3 nm in thickness were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering on MgO substrates at 400 degrees C SSPDs were fabricated on high quality NbN films of different thickness (7 to 3 nm) deposited under optimal conditions. Electrical and optical characterizations were performed on the SSPDs. The highest QE value measured at 4.2K is 20% at 1300 nm.