Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

AIP conference proceedings

Fast Response and High Quantum Efficiency Ti-Based TES Optical Detector and its Application to Quantum Information

Daiji Fukuda, Betty Young, Blas Cabrera, Aaron Miller

Published Jan 1, 2009• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

High performance optical photon detectors are indispensable for quantum communications. Superconducting detectors are very attractive because of their high quantum efficiency and intrinsic low dark count probability. We have been developing high performance optical photon detectors with a Titanium‐based transition edge sensor (Ti‐TES), which have superconducting critical temperatures around 300 mK. The relatively high transition temperature enables rapid thermal relaxation of the absorbed photon energy, resulting in excellent temporal characteristics such as fast response time below 1 μs, low timing jitter of 33 ns, and maximum counting rate over 1 MHz. Although there is a tradeoff relationship between the temporal response and energy resolution, we have simultaneously achieved high quantum efficiency and high energy resolution. We fabricated Ti‐TES devices with an optical cavity structure for photon absorption enhancement in the superconducting film. The measured quantum efficiency is over 95 % at 850 nm wavelength, and the energy resolution is 0.28 and 0.6 eV FWHM for the 5 μm and 10 μm square size devices, respectively, which is sufficient to resolve the photon number of the 850 nm light pulses. These high performance detectors are expected to be one of the powerful components in quantum information, communication and measurement technologies. We will also report and discuss the application of the Ti‐TES photon detectors to quantum communication systems.

DOI
10.1063/1.3292453

Related papers

Titanium TES based photon number resolving detectors with 1 MHz counting rate and 65% quantum efficiency

Daiji Fukuda, Go Fujii, Takayuki Numata +4 more

A transition edge sensor (TES) is one of superconducting photon detectors, which has a photon number resolving ability in light pulses. The TES device is a kind of calorimeters operated at an extremely low temperature, and the energy of the photons is measured as a resistance change in a superconducting transition region of the TES. The advantages of the TESs are an excellent energy resolution and a high quantum efficiency. However a response speed is limited due to slow thermal recovery time. To overcome this, we fabricated new TES devices which are based on a titanium superconductor. The critical temperature of our titanium films is around 410 mK, which greatly improves the thermal recovery time. The observed decay time constant of response signals to the light pulses is around several hundreds of ns, that make it possible to operate the devices at a counting rate over 1 MHz. The photon number resolving power is 0.35 eV(FWHM) for a 5 μm size device even at the high operating temperature. The system quantum efficiency is 65 % by embedding the TES films in an optical structure with a high reflection dielectric mirror and an anti-reflection coatings fabricated by an ion beam assisted sputtering method. These features are very promising for high speed photon number resolving applications in the quantum information field.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Dec 2, 2008•11 citations

Development of Titanium-Based Transition-Edge Single-Photon Detector

Wen Zhang, Yue Geng, Zheng Wang +7 more

Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs), working as single-photon detectors with high quantum efficiency, low dark count rate, and photon number resolving capability, have been successfully used in quantum information experiments as well as astronomical transient object observations. Aiming to achieve high count rate, we are developing titanium-based superconducting TES single-photon detectors with a critical temperature of ~300 mK. Ti-based TESs with active area from 10 × 10 μm to 40 × 40 μm are first fabricated on silicon substrate coated with SiOx. The fabricated TES devices show a thermal conductance scaling with the active area and an effective time constant of ~4 μs from pulsed laser diode illumination. In order to get high quantum efficiency, we further design and fabricate a 1550-nm optical cavity based on dielectric mirror and antireflection layer, and study its absorption with an IR spectrometer. Ti TES devices on the dielectric mirror are then fabricated and the superconducting transition is measured.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Mar 19, 2019•19 citations

Development of transition-edge sensors with high detection efficiency and fast response time

Takeshi Jodoi, Tetsuya Tsuruta, Takahiro Kikuchi +4 more

This study developed transition-edge sensors (TESs), which can achieve high detection efficiency and fast response time through an optimized optical cavity design. Their suitability for optical quantum information processing was confirmed. Furthermore, we developed TESs with two different sensitive area sizes—8 × 7 ţm2, 12 × 11 ţm2—and systematically evaluated their performances. By employing a titanium (Ti)/gold (Au) bilayer with a relatively high transition temperature as the sensitive element, we achieved a fast total response time—defined as the sum of the rise and decay times—of ∼160 ns. Furthermore, the optical cavity structure—predicted by simulations to achieve a photon absorptance of 99.9% at 1550 nm—yielded measured system detection efficiencies of 94.7% ± 0.62% for the 8 × 7 ţm2 TES and 99.0% ± 0.60% for the 12 × 11 ţm2 TES. Photon response measurements indicate an energy resolution of 0.20 eV for the 8 × 7 ţm2 TES and 0.37 eV for the 12 × 11 ţm2 TES. These results establish that the proposed TESs are the fastest and most efficient devices reported to date. The proposed devices offer a high detection efficiency, high count rate, and accurate photon-number resolution. Therefore, they provide a breakthrough platform for scalable fault-tolerant quantum information processing and enable significant advances in experimental quantum optics.

APL Photonics•Jul 1, 2026•0 citations

Titanium Based Transition Edge Microcalorimeters for Optical Photon Measurements

Daiji Fukuda, R. M. T. Damayanthi, Akio Yoshizawa +4 more

Transition edge sensor microcalorimeters can be used in many optical quantum measurements because of its low dark counts, high quantum efficiency, and high resolving power of a photon number in weak light pulses. In order to increase count rates up to a few MHz, we have developed a titanium transition edge sensor for the optical measurements, and its performances were analysed. Titanium is one of the ideal superconductor because of its higher transition temperature and lower optical reflectance at 1.5 wavelength. Our titanium film was fabricated with electron-beam evaporation, and showed high residual resistance ratio of 3.5. The sharp superconducting transition also was found at 359 mK, which is close to the critical temperature in bulk. The fabricated device showed a fast response to pulsed laser illumination of 1.5 wavelength with the fall time constant of 300 ns. These features are very promising for high-speed single photon detection in many quantum optical measurements.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 2007•29 citations

Photon number resolving detector with 0.3 μs recovering time

Daiji Fukuda, Akio Yoshizawa, Hidemi Tsuchida

Recently, photon number resolving detectors, which are based on micro-calorimeters with superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) [1], have shown excellent performances such as high quantum efficiency of 89 %, and high energy resolution of 0.2 eV [2]. To extend their applications to quantum telecommunication fields, however, the detectors should have high timing properties of the low timing jitters and the fast recovering time. To achieve these properties, we have developed new TES detectors with a titanium-based superconductor. Titanium has the transition temperature (Tc) at 0.39 K in bulk. This will improve the timing properties of TES devices because the operating temperature at Tc is strongly related to the intrinsic time constant of the device and the thermal diffusions of the incident photon energy.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 1, 2007•0 citations

A TES single-photon detector demonstrating high-energy-resolution, high efficiency, and ultra-low dark counts near 0.9 T c

Peizhan Li, Wen Zhang, Zhi-Fa Feng +7 more

Transition-edge sensors (TESs) are among the most promising technologies for single-photon detection, offering high quantum efficiency, low dark count rates, and energy-resolving capabilities. However, optimal TES performance typically requires ultra-low temperatures below 100 mK, necessitating bulky dilution refrigerators or adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators, which limits their practical deployment. In this work, we demonstrate a titanium-based TES optimized for 1064 nm photon detection that achieves high performance at an elevated bath temperature of 220 mK—approximately 90% of its superconducting transition temperature, making it compatible with more compact sorption refrigerators. Through the integration of an optical cavity, a detailed complex impedance and noise characterization, and a systematic investigation of dark count sources, the detector achieves a system detection efficiency exceeding 97%, an energy resolution of 240 meV, and an intrinsic dark count rate as low as 2 × 10−4 cps. These findings significantly expand the applicability of TES single-photon detectors to practical photon-counting systems, such as quantum information and infrared astronomy.

APL Photonics•Dec 1, 2025•3 citations
High performance optical photon detectors are indispensable for quantum communications. Superconducting detectors are very attractive because of their high quantum efficiency and intrinsic low dark count probability. We have been developing high performance optical photon detectors with a Titanium‐based transition edge sensor (Ti‐TES), which have superconducting critical temperatures around 300 mK. The relatively high transition temperature enables rapid thermal relaxation of the absorbed photon energy, resulting in excellent temporal characteristics such as fast response time below 1 μs, low timing jitter of 33 ns, and maximum counting rate over 1 MHz. Although there is a tradeoff relationship between the temporal response and energy resolution, we have simultaneously achieved high quantum efficiency and high energy resolution. We fabricated Ti‐TES devices with an optical cavity structure for photon absorption enhancement in the superconducting film. The measured quantum efficiency is over 95 % at 850 nm wavelength, and the energy resolution is 0.28 and 0.6 eV FWHM for the 5 μm and 10 μm square size devices, respectively, which is sufficient to resolve the photon number of the 850 nm light pulses. These high performance detectors are expected to be one of the powerful components in quantum information, communication and measurement technologies. We will also report and discuss the application of the Ti‐TES photon detectors to quantum communication systems.
A transition edge sensor (TES) is one of superconducting photon detectors, which has a photon number resolving ability in light pulses. The TES device is a kind of calorimeters operated at an extremely low temperature, and the energy of the photons is measured as a resistance change in a superconducting transition region of the TES. The advantages of the TESs are an excellent energy resolution and a high quantum efficiency. However a response speed is limited due to slow thermal recovery time. To overcome this, we fabricated new TES devices which are based on a titanium superconductor. The critical temperature of our titanium films is around 410 mK, which greatly improves the thermal recovery time. The observed decay time constant of response signals to the light pulses is around several hundreds of ns, that make it possible to operate the devices at a counting rate over 1 MHz. The photon number resolving power is 0.35 eV(FWHM) for a 5 μm size device even at the high operating temperature. The system quantum efficiency is 65 % by embedding the TES films in an optical structure with a high reflection dielectric mirror and an anti-reflection coatings fabricated by an ion beam assisted sputtering method. These features are very promising for high speed photon number resolving applications in the quantum information field.
Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs), working as single-photon detectors with high quantum efficiency, low dark count rate, and photon number resolving capability, have been successfully used in quantum information experiments as well as astronomical transient object observations. Aiming to achieve high count rate, we are developing titanium-based superconducting TES single-photon detectors with a critical temperature of ~300 mK. Ti-based TESs with active area from 10 × 10 μm to 40 × 40 μm are first fabricated on silicon substrate coated with SiOx. The fabricated TES devices show a thermal conductance scaling with the active area and an effective time constant of ~4 μs from pulsed laser diode illumination. In order to get high quantum efficiency, we further design and fabricate a 1550-nm optical cavity based on dielectric mirror and antireflection layer, and study its absorption with an IR spectrometer. Ti TES devices on the dielectric mirror are then fabricated and the superconducting transition is measured.
This study developed transition-edge sensors (TESs), which can achieve high detection efficiency and fast response time through an optimized optical cavity design. Their suitability for optical quantum information processing was confirmed. Furthermore, we developed TESs with two different sensitive area sizes—8 × 7 ţm2, 12 × 11 ţm2—and systematically evaluated their performances. By employing a titanium (Ti)/gold (Au) bilayer with a relatively high transition temperature as the sensitive element, we achieved a fast total response time—defined as the sum of the rise and decay times—of ∼160 ns. Furthermore, the optical cavity structure—predicted by simulations to achieve a photon absorptance of 99.9% at 1550 nm—yielded measured system detection efficiencies of 94.7% ± 0.62% for the 8 × 7 ţm2 TES and 99.0% ± 0.60% for the 12 × 11 ţm2 TES. Photon response measurements indicate an energy resolution of 0.20 eV for the 8 × 7 ţm2 TES and 0.37 eV for the 12 × 11 ţm2 TES. These results establish that the proposed TESs are the fastest and most efficient devices reported to date. The proposed devices offer a high detection efficiency, high count rate, and accurate photon-number resolution. Therefore, they provide a breakthrough platform for scalable fault-tolerant quantum information processing and enable significant advances in experimental quantum optics.
Transition edge sensor microcalorimeters can be used in many optical quantum measurements because of its low dark counts, high quantum efficiency, and high resolving power of a photon number in weak light pulses. In order to increase count rates up to a few MHz, we have developed a titanium transition edge sensor for the optical measurements, and its performances were analysed. Titanium is one of the ideal superconductor because of its higher transition temperature and lower optical reflectance at 1.5 wavelength. Our titanium film was fabricated with electron-beam evaporation, and showed high residual resistance ratio of 3.5. The sharp superconducting transition also was found at 359 mK, which is close to the critical temperature in bulk. The fabricated device showed a fast response to pulsed laser illumination of 1.5 wavelength with the fall time constant of 300 ns. These features are very promising for high-speed single photon detection in many quantum optical measurements.
Recently, photon number resolving detectors, which are based on micro-calorimeters with superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) [1], have shown excellent performances such as high quantum efficiency of 89 %, and high energy resolution of 0.2 eV [2]. To extend their applications to quantum telecommunication fields, however, the detectors should have high timing properties of the low timing jitters and the fast recovering time. To achieve these properties, we have developed new TES detectors with a titanium-based superconductor. Titanium has the transition temperature (Tc) at 0.39 K in bulk. This will improve the timing properties of TES devices because the operating temperature at Tc is strongly related to the intrinsic time constant of the device and the thermal diffusions of the incident photon energy.
Transition-edge sensors (TESs) are among the most promising technologies for single-photon detection, offering high quantum efficiency, low dark count rates, and energy-resolving capabilities. However, optimal TES performance typically requires ultra-low temperatures below 100 mK, necessitating bulky dilution refrigerators or adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators, which limits their practical deployment. In this work, we demonstrate a titanium-based TES optimized for 1064 nm photon detection that achieves high performance at an elevated bath temperature of 220 mK—approximately 90% of its superconducting transition temperature, making it compatible with more compact sorption refrigerators. Through the integration of an optical cavity, a detailed complex impedance and noise characterization, and a systematic investigation of dark count sources, the detector achieves a system detection efficiency exceeding 97%, an energy resolution of 240 meV, and an intrinsic dark count rate as low as 2 × 10−4 cps. These findings significantly expand the applicability of TES single-photon detectors to practical photon-counting systems, such as quantum information and infrared astronomy.