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

New Journal of Physics

Fabrication of a superconducting niobium nitride hot electron bolometer for single-photon counting

R. Romestain, Bertrand Delaet, Philippe Renaud-Goud, Irène Wang, Corentin Jorel, J-C Villégier, J.-Ph. Poizat

Published Oct 7, 2004• 35 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Superconducting photodetectors offer an interesting alternative to traditional photon counting systems such as photomultiplier tubes and avalanche photodiodes for applications in optical quantum information processing. In these superconducting devices, different mechanisms are exploited to detect the photon absorption, depending on the type of detector (transition edge sensor, superconducting tunnel junction and hot electron bolometer (HEB)). The first two are briefly presented; more emphasis is given on HEB elaboration made with very thin superconducting NbN films due to their unique capability of fast single-photon detection. Constraints on NbN HEB elaboration and on electronic transport properties are presented in the perspective of further improvement of the quantum efficiency in the near-infrared.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/6/1/129

Related papers

Superconducting Nbn Terahertz Detectors and Infrared Photon Counters

Aleksandr A. Korneev, Matvey I. Finkel, S. N. Maslennikov +9 more

We present our recent achievements in the development of sensitive and ultrafast thin-film superconducting sensors: hot-electron bolometers (HEB), HEB-mixers for terahertz range and infrared single-photon counters. These sensors have already demonstrated a performance that makes them devices-of-choice for many terahertz and optical applications

Siberian Journal of Physics•Dec 1, 2010•0 citations

Ultrafast superconducting single-photon detectors for near-infrared-wavelength quantum communications

A. Verevkin, Aaron J. Pearlman, Wojciech Słysz +10 more

The paper reports progress on the design and development of niobium-nitride, superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) for ultrafast counting of near-infrared photons for secure quantum communications. The SSPDs operate in the quantum detection mode, based on photon-induced hotspot formation and subsequent appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin and submicron-width superconducting stripe. The devices are fabricated from 3.5 nm thick NbN films and kept at cryogenic (liquid helium) temperatures inside a cryostat. The detector experimental quantum efficiency in the photon-counting mode reaches above 20% in the visible radiation range and up to 10% at the 1.3–1.55 μn infrared range. The dark counts are below 0.01 per second. The measured real-time counting rate is above 2 GHz and is limited by readout electronics (the intrinsic response time is below 30 ps). The SSPD jitter is below 18 ps, and the best-measured value of the noise-equivalent power (NEP) is 2 × 10−18 W/Hz1/2. at 1.3 μm. In terms of photon-counting efficiency and speed, these NbN SSPDs significantly outperform semiconductor avalanche photodiodes and photomultipliers.

Journal of Modern Optics•Jan 1, 2004•84 citations

Ultrafast superconducting single-photon optical detectors and their applications

Alexander A. Verevkin

Superconducting detectors become the most prominent technology for radiation sensors with ultimate performance. Typically, they are nanostructures formed from an ultra-thin superconducting film incorporated into an external antenna for efficient radiation coupling. The operation of so-called hot-electron bolometers and photodetectors (HEBs and HEPs) is based on nonequilibrium heating of the electron subsystem by the absorbed radiation and results in the film resistance and a corresponding, easily measurable voltage response when device is current biased [1-2]. A relatively simple, single-layer manufacturing technology made these devices very popular for needs of radioastronomy and remote sensing.

Opto-Canada: SPIE Regional Meeting on Optoelectronics, Photonics, and Imaging•Aug 29, 2017•0 citations

Superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors

Sae Woo Nam, Brice Calkins, T. Gerritts +9 more

Superconducting devices offer the potential to perform at speeds and detection efficiencies higher than what is possible using conventional technologies (such as semiconducting avalanche photodiodes and photomultiplier tubs) for wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared. As a result, there has been increasing interest in using superconducting optical photon detectors in a variety of applications. There has been significant progress in using these types of detectors in areas of basic research such as quantum information science and quantum optics. These applications require detectors that have extremely low dark count rates, high count rates, and high quantum efficiency. I will begin by describing some of our earlier work on superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor (TES). In particular, I will describe some of the engineering involved in the cryogenic, electrical, and optical packaging so that these devices can be easily coupled into fiber-based optics. I will also describe our recent work on developing superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD or SSPD). An SNSPD is an ultra-thin, ultra-narrow (nm scale) superconducting meander that is current biased just below its critical current density. When one or more photon is absorbed, a hot spot is formed that causes the superconductor to develop a resistance and consequently a voltage pulse. At NIST and JPL, we have been developing nanowire detectors using an amorphous alloy of tungsten-silicide. We will describe to construct systems using tungsten-silicide nanowires to achieve high detection efficiency (>90% at 1550nm). I will also describe our work to improve the performance of the device by fabricating multiple nanowires in an electrically parallel structure to implement a superconducting nanowire avalanche photodiode (SNAP)[1]. One example of this type of detector is shown in Fig 1. In this case, there are two tungsten silicide layers separated by a dielectric layer to optimize detection of light for any polarization[2]. In addition, progress on other types of SNAP detectors will be described to increase the signal size from a single photon, reduce the recovery time of the device, and to improve the jitter.

IEEE Photonics Conference•Sep 1, 2013•3 citations

Ultrafast superconducting hot-electron single-photon detector

Ying Xu, Xuemei Zheng, Carlo Kosik Williams +7 more

Summary form only given. The current most-pressing need is to develop a practical, GHz-range counting single-photon detector, operational at either 1.3-/spl mu/m or 1.55-/spl mu/m radiation wavelength, for novel quantum communication and quantum cryptography systems. The presented solution of the problem is to use an ultrafast hot-electron photodetector, based on superconducting thin-film microstructures. This type of device is very promising, due to the macroscopic quantum nature of superconductors. Very fast response time and the small, (meV range) value of the superconducting energy gap characterize the superconductor, leading to the efficient avalanche process even for infrared photons.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2001•0 citations

Superconducting nanostructures for counting of single photons in the infrared range

Чулкова Галина Меркурьевна, I. Milostnaya, Alexander A. Korneev +11 more

We present our studies on ultrafast superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) based on ultrathin NbN nanostructures. Our SSPDs are patterned by electron beam lithography from 4-nm thick NbN film into meander-shaped strips covering square area of 10/spl times/10 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. The advances in the fabrication technology allowed us to produce highly uniform 100-120-nm-wide strips with meander filling factor close to 0.6. The detectors exploit a combined detection mechanism, where upon a single-photon absorption, an avalanche of excited hot electrons and the biasing supercurrent, jointly produce a picosecond voltage transient response across the superconducting nanostrip. The SSPDs are typically operated at 4.2 K, but they have shown that their sensitivity in the infrared radiation range can be significantly improved by lowering the operating temperature from 4.2 K to 2 K. When operated at 2 K, the SSPD quantum efficiency (QE) for visible light photons reaches 30-40%, which is the saturation value limited by optical absorption of our 4-nm-thick NbN film. For 1.55 /spl mu/m photons, QE was /spl sim/20% and decreases exponentially with the increase of the optical wavelength, but even at the wavelength of 6 /spl mu/m the detector remains sensitive to single photons and exhibits QE of about 10/sup -2/%. The dark (false) count rate at 2 K is as low as 2 /spl times/ 10/sup -4/ s/sup -1/, what makes our detector essentially a background-limited sensor. The very low dark-count rate results in the noise equivalent power (NEP) as low as 10/sup -18/ WHz/sup -1/2/ for the mid-infrared range (6 /spl mu/m). Further improvement of the SSPD performance in the mid-infrared range can be obtained by substituting NbN for the other, lower-T/sub c/ superconductors with the narrow superconducting gap and low quasiparticle diffusivity. The use of such materials will shift the cutoff wavelength towards the values even longer than 6 /spl mu/m.

CAOL . International Conference on Advanced Optoelectronics and Lasers•Jan 5, 2006•3 citations
Superconducting photodetectors offer an interesting alternative to traditional photon counting systems such as photomultiplier tubes and avalanche photodiodes for applications in optical quantum information processing. In these superconducting devices, different mechanisms are exploited to detect the photon absorption, depending on the type of detector (transition edge sensor, superconducting tunnel junction and hot electron bolometer (HEB)). The first two are briefly presented; more emphasis is given on HEB elaboration made with very thin superconducting NbN films due to their unique capability of fast single-photon detection. Constraints on NbN HEB elaboration and on electronic transport properties are presented in the perspective of further improvement of the quantum efficiency in the near-infrared.
The paper reports progress on the design and development of niobium-nitride, superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) for ultrafast counting of near-infrared photons for secure quantum communications. The SSPDs operate in the quantum detection mode, based on photon-induced hotspot formation and subsequent appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin and submicron-width superconducting stripe. The devices are fabricated from 3.5 nm thick NbN films and kept at cryogenic (liquid helium) temperatures inside a cryostat. The detector experimental quantum efficiency in the photon-counting mode reaches above 20% in the visible radiation range and up to 10% at the 1.3–1.55 μn infrared range. The dark counts are below 0.01 per second. The measured real-time counting rate is above 2 GHz and is limited by readout electronics (the intrinsic response time is below 30 ps). The SSPD jitter is below 18 ps, and the best-measured value of the noise-equivalent power (NEP) is 2 × 10−18 W/Hz1/2. at 1.3 μm. In terms of photon-counting efficiency and speed, these NbN SSPDs significantly outperform semiconductor avalanche photodiodes and photomultipliers.
Superconducting detectors become the most prominent technology for radiation sensors with ultimate performance. Typically, they are nanostructures formed from an ultra-thin superconducting film incorporated into an external antenna for efficient radiation coupling. The operation of so-called hot-electron bolometers and photodetectors (HEBs and HEPs) is based on nonequilibrium heating of the electron subsystem by the absorbed radiation and results in the film resistance and a corresponding, easily measurable voltage response when device is current biased [1-2]. A relatively simple, single-layer manufacturing technology made these devices very popular for needs of radioastronomy and remote sensing.
Superconducting devices offer the potential to perform at speeds and detection efficiencies higher than what is possible using conventional technologies (such as semiconducting avalanche photodiodes and photomultiplier tubs) for wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared. As a result, there has been increasing interest in using superconducting optical photon detectors in a variety of applications. There has been significant progress in using these types of detectors in areas of basic research such as quantum information science and quantum optics. These applications require detectors that have extremely low dark count rates, high count rates, and high quantum efficiency. I will begin by describing some of our earlier work on superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor (TES). In particular, I will describe some of the engineering involved in the cryogenic, electrical, and optical packaging so that these devices can be easily coupled into fiber-based optics. I will also describe our recent work on developing superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD or SSPD). An SNSPD is an ultra-thin, ultra-narrow (nm scale) superconducting meander that is current biased just below its critical current density. When one or more photon is absorbed, a hot spot is formed that causes the superconductor to develop a resistance and consequently a voltage pulse. At NIST and JPL, we have been developing nanowire detectors using an amorphous alloy of tungsten-silicide. We will describe to construct systems using tungsten-silicide nanowires to achieve high detection efficiency (>90% at 1550nm). I will also describe our work to improve the performance of the device by fabricating multiple nanowires in an electrically parallel structure to implement a superconducting nanowire avalanche photodiode (SNAP)[1]. One example of this type of detector is shown in Fig 1. In this case, there are two tungsten silicide layers separated by a dielectric layer to optimize detection of light for any polarization[2]. In addition, progress on other types of SNAP detectors will be described to increase the signal size from a single photon, reduce the recovery time of the device, and to improve the jitter.
Summary form only given. The current most-pressing need is to develop a practical, GHz-range counting single-photon detector, operational at either 1.3-/spl mu/m or 1.55-/spl mu/m radiation wavelength, for novel quantum communication and quantum cryptography systems. The presented solution of the problem is to use an ultrafast hot-electron photodetector, based on superconducting thin-film microstructures. This type of device is very promising, due to the macroscopic quantum nature of superconductors. Very fast response time and the small, (meV range) value of the superconducting energy gap characterize the superconductor, leading to the efficient avalanche process even for infrared photons.
We present our studies on ultrafast superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) based on ultrathin NbN nanostructures. Our SSPDs are patterned by electron beam lithography from 4-nm thick NbN film into meander-shaped strips covering square area of 10/spl times/10 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. The advances in the fabrication technology allowed us to produce highly uniform 100-120-nm-wide strips with meander filling factor close to 0.6. The detectors exploit a combined detection mechanism, where upon a single-photon absorption, an avalanche of excited hot electrons and the biasing supercurrent, jointly produce a picosecond voltage transient response across the superconducting nanostrip. The SSPDs are typically operated at 4.2 K, but they have shown that their sensitivity in the infrared radiation range can be significantly improved by lowering the operating temperature from 4.2 K to 2 K. When operated at 2 K, the SSPD quantum efficiency (QE) for visible light photons reaches 30-40%, which is the saturation value limited by optical absorption of our 4-nm-thick NbN film. For 1.55 /spl mu/m photons, QE was /spl sim/20% and decreases exponentially with the increase of the optical wavelength, but even at the wavelength of 6 /spl mu/m the detector remains sensitive to single photons and exhibits QE of about 10/sup -2/%. The dark (false) count rate at 2 K is as low as 2 /spl times/ 10/sup -4/ s/sup -1/, what makes our detector essentially a background-limited sensor. The very low dark-count rate results in the noise equivalent power (NEP) as low as 10/sup -18/ WHz/sup -1/2/ for the mid-infrared range (6 /spl mu/m). Further improvement of the SSPD performance in the mid-infrared range can be obtained by substituting NbN for the other, lower-T/sub c/ superconductors with the narrow superconducting gap and low quasiparticle diffusivity. The use of such materials will shift the cutoff wavelength towards the values even longer than 6 /spl mu/m.