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Journal of Applied Physics

Intrinsic detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with different thicknesses

M. Hofherr, Dagmar Rall, K. Ilin, M. Siegel, Alexej D. Semenov, Heinz‐Wilhelm Hübers, Николай Алексеевич Гиппиус

Published Jul 1, 2010• 94 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We evaluate experimentally the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) of superconducting NbN nanowire single-photon detectors in the range of wire thicknesses from 4 to 12 nm. The study is performed in the broad spectral interval between near-ultraviolet (wavelength 400 nm) and near-infrared (wavelength 2000 nm) light with plane waves at normal incidence. For visible light the IDE of the thinnest detectors reaches 70%. We use numerically computed absorptance of the nanowire-structures for the analysis of the experimental data. Variations in the detection efficiency with both the wire thickness and the wavelength evidence the red boundary of the hot-spot photon-detection mechanism. We explain the detection at larger wavelengths invoking thermal excitation of magnetic Pearl vortices over the potential barrier at the edges of the wire.

DOI
10.1063/1.3437043

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We evaluate experimentally the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) of superconducting NbN nanowire single-photon detectors in the range of wire thicknesses from 4 to 12 nm. The study is performed in the broad spectral interval between near-ultraviolet (wavelength 400 nm) and near-infrared (wavelength 2000 nm) light with plane waves at normal incidence. For visible light the IDE of the thinnest detectors reaches 70%. We use numerically computed absorptance of the nanowire-structures for the analysis of the experimental data. Variations in the detection efficiency with both the wire thickness and the wavelength evidence the red boundary of the hot-spot photon-detection mechanism. We explain the detection at larger wavelengths invoking thermal excitation of magnetic Pearl vortices over the potential barrier at the edges of the wire.
A thorough spectral study of the intrinsic single-photon detection efficiency in superconducting TaN and NbN nanowires with different widths has been performed. The experiment shows that the cut-off of the intrinsic detection efficiency at near-infrared wavelengths is most likely controlled by the local suppression of the barrier for vortex nucleation around the absorption site. Beyond the cut-off quasi-particle diffusion in combination with spontaneous, thermally activated vortex crossing explains the detection process. For both materials, the reciprocal cut-off wavelength scales linearly with the wire width where the scaling factor agrees with the hot-spot detection model.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their excellent detection performance; however, the underlying physics of the detection process is still unclear. In this study, we investigate the wavelength dependence of the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) for NbN SNSPDs. We fabricate various NbN SNSPDs with linewidths ranging from 30 nm to 140 nm. Then, for each detector, the IDE curves as a function of bias current for different incident photon wavelengths of 510–1700 nm are obtained. From the IDE curves, the relations between photon energy and bias current at a certain IDE are extracted. The results exhibit clear nonlinear energy–current relations for the NbN detectors, indicating that a detection model only considering quasiparticle diffusion is unsuitable for the meander-type NbN-based SNSPDs. Our work provides additional experimental data on SNSPD detection mechanism and may serve as an interesting reference for further investigation.
The quantum efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors has been systematically studied in a broad spectral range from near ultra-violet to near infrared radiation. Detectors were made from NbN films on sapphire substrates and had thicknesses between 4 and 12 nm. The gradual reduction of the quantum efficiency with increasing wavelength is caused by a crossover from the "hot-spot" to the "vortex" detection scenario. For thicker films the wavelength demarcating the two regimes shifts to shorter wavelengths.
We present thorough measurements of the intrinsic detection efficiency in the wavelength range from 350 to 2500 nm for meander-type TaN and NbN superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with different widths of the nanowire. The width varied from 70 nm to 130 nm. The open-beam configuration allowed us to accurately normalize measured spectra and to extract the intrinsic detection efficiency. For detectors from both materials the intrinsic detection efficiency at short wavelengths amounts at 100% and gradually decreases at wavelengths larger than the specific cut-off wavelengths, which decreases with the width of the nanowire. Furthermore, we show that applying weak magnetic fields perpendicular to the meander plane decreases the smallest detectable photon flux.
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.
We investigate the detection efficiency of a spiral layout of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector. The design is less susceptible to the critical current reduction in sharp turns of the nanowire than the conventional meander design. Detector samples with different nanowire widths from 100 to 300 nm are patterned from a 4-nm-thick NbN film deposited on sapphire substrates. The critical current ICat 4.2 K for spiral, meander, and single-bridge structures is measured and compared. On the 100-nm-wide samples, the detection efficiency is measured in the wavelength range 400-1700 nm and the spectral bandwidth of the intrinsic detection efficiency is determined. In the optical range, the spiral detector reaches a detection efficiency of 27.6%, which is ~ 1.5 times the value of the meander. In the infrared range the detection efficiency of the spiral superconducting nanowire single-photon detector is more than doubled.