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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Robust Packaging Technique and Characterization of Fiber-Pigtailed Superconducting NbN Nanowire Single Photon Detectors

Jean-Luc Orgiazzi, A. Hamed Majedi

Published Jun 1, 2009• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Efficient packaging and fiber coupling of a superconducting niobium nitride nanowire single photon detector is in itself a real challenge and is often a limiting factor to reach a high system quantum efficiency. Our approach makes use of a controlled expansion alloy, Carpenter Invar 36, that has been adequately heat treated to enhance its characteristics for cryogenic operation. This insures the integrity of the optical coupling done at room temperature while providing a good attenuation for electromagnetic interference due to the high relative permeability of this nickel-iron alloy. The small form factor of this optical fiber pigtailed package makes it versatile and could be easily integrated with a commercial cryogen-free system or simply dipped into a standard helium transport Dewar. We report on our experimental methodology to evaluate the optical coupling quality and present the optoelectronic characterization of two devices packaged in this way.

DOI
10.1109/tasc.2009.2019028

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Optics and Precision Engineering•Jan 1, 2013•2 citations
Efficient packaging and fiber coupling of a superconducting niobium nitride nanowire single photon detector is in itself a real challenge and is often a limiting factor to reach a high system quantum efficiency. Our approach makes use of a controlled expansion alloy, Carpenter Invar 36, that has been adequately heat treated to enhance its characteristics for cryogenic operation. This insures the integrity of the optical coupling done at room temperature while providing a good attenuation for electromagnetic interference due to the high relative permeability of this nickel-iron alloy. The small form factor of this optical fiber pigtailed package makes it versatile and could be easily integrated with a commercial cryogen-free system or simply dipped into a standard helium transport Dewar. We report on our experimental methodology to evaluate the optical coupling quality and present the optoelectronic characterization of two devices packaged in this way.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are nanodevices usually made from thin niobium nitride (NbN) films. Operated at liquid helium temperature, they can exhibit high detection efficiency with low dark-counts associated with a fast response time and a low timing jitter. Covering a broad detection range from ultraviolet to mid-infrared, SNSPDs are a very attractive alternative to silicon or gallium arsenide based semiconductor detectors for fiber based telecommunication when single-photon sensitivity and high counting rates are necessary. \nEfficient packaging and fiber coupling of a SNSPD is in itself a real challenge and is often a limiting factor in reaching high system quantum efficiency. Our approach makes use of a controlled expansion alloy which has been adequately heat treated to enhance its characteristics for cryogenic operation. This insures the integrity of the optical coupling at cryogenic temperatures while done at room temperature. It also provides a good attenuation for electromagnetic interference due to the high relative permeability of the nickel-iron alloy. The small form factor of this pigtailed optical fiber package makes it versatile and could be easily integrated with a commercial cryogen-free system or simply dipped into a standard helium transport Dewar. We report on our theoretical and experimental methodology to evaluate the optical coupling quality and present the optoelectronic characterization of two devices packaged in this way. Electrical simulation is studied to understand the speed limitation factor inherent to these devices and preliminary speed and jitter measurements are reported.
The Superconducting Nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) made with niobium-titanium nitride (NbTiN) thin films fabricated on oxidized silicon substrates are highly promising nanodevices. The SNSPD is an immensely capable infrared single photon detector. When cooled down with liquid helium the device exhibits high detection efficiency, low dark-counts in spite of fast response times, and low timing jitter. For good single-photon sensitivity at telecom wavelengths, picosecod timing resolutions (<100 ps), and high counting frequencies, the SNSPD is first choice compared to the alternatives like indium gallium arsenide avalanche diode detectors, silicon single photon avalanche diode detectors, and other superconducting single photon technology like, transition edge detectors. These SNSPD characteristics make it ideal for long distance quantum key distribution (QKD). \nAlthough the exploitation of the constructive interference that occurs at the SiO2/Si interface can boost detector efficiency, efficient packaging and fiber coupling is often a limiting factor in the overall system quantum efficiency (SQE). In an attempt to maximize SQE, we use a controlled expansion alloy for optimal performance at cryogenic temperatures. This nickel-iron alloy has a high relative permeability and, therefore, attenuates electromagnetic interference. Our report focuses on the theoretical and experimental methods used in the characterization of an un-patterned NbTiN superconducting nanowire. We use simulations based on the gathered experimental data to design an optimal SNSPD meander and calculate its expected SQE. We also use simulations to analyze the speed and value added to secure key rates in long distance QKD schemes up to 400 km with down-conversion sources with positively spectrally correlated and decorrelated photon pairs at 1550 nm wavelength.
We have fabricated fiber-coupled superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs), designed for quantum-correlationtype experiments. The SSPDs are nanostructured (~100-nm wide and 4-nm thick) NbN superconducting meandering stripes, operated in the 2 to 4.2 K temperature range, and known for ultrafast and efficient detection of visible to nearinfrared photons with almost negligible dark counts. Our latest devices are pigtailed structures with coupling between the SSPD structure and a single-mode optical fiber achieved using a micromechanical photoresist ring placed directly over the meander. The above arrangement withstands repetitive thermal cycling between liquid helium and room temperature, and we can reach the coupling efficiency of up to ~33%. The system quantum efficiency, measured as the ratio of the photons counted by SSPD to the total number of photons coupled into the fiber, in our early devices was found to be around 0.3 % and 1% for 1.55 &mgr;m and 0.9 &mgr;m photon wavelengths, respectively. The photon counting rate exceeded 250 MHz. The receiver with two SSPDs, each individually biased, was placed inside a transport, 60-liter liquid helium Dewar, assuring uninterrupted operation for over 2 months. Since the receiver's optical and electrical connections are at room temperature, the set-up is suitable for any applications, where single-photon counting capability and fast count rates are desired. In our case, it was implemented for photon correlation experiments. The receiver response time, measured as a second-order photon cross-correlation function, was found to be below 400 ps, with timing jitter of less than 40 ps.
We have developed a practical superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) system with our superconducting thin films and devices fabrication, optical coupling packaging, and cryogenic technology. The SNSPD devices were fabricated from high-quality niobium nitride (NbN) ultra-thin films that were epitaxially grown on single-crystal MgO substrates, and optical cavity structure were applied for improvement of photo absorption efficiency. The SNSPD system was developed based on a compact Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocooler, in which SNSPD can operate continuously at temperature of 2.9 K +/- 10 mK with low power consumption without any liquid cryogens. The system detection efficiencies at 1550 nm wavelength (at a 100 Hz dark count rate) were found to be 2.6% for device without optical cavity and 21% for device with optical cavity. The response speed of devices showed maximally 200 MHz with 5 × 5 mm square device, and timing jitter of 100 ps full width at a half maximum (FWHM) was observed.
In order to investigate the characteristics of the package and fiber coupling of a Superconducting Nanowire Single-photon Detector(SNSPD),the SNSPD was successfully built up in our laboratory.Experiments show that the quantum efficiencies of the detector under different light wavelengths are 6%@1310nm and 3%@1550nm when the dark count rate is 100 Hz.Then,as the distance(gap) between SNSPD and optical fiber would be changed due to the thermal stress during cooling,and would cause a misalignment,two kinds of fiber coupling methods to modulate the gap at room temperature were proposed.Finally,by altering the wavelength of the input light,the exact values of the gap at different temperatures were measured and then the influence of temperature on the gap were figured out by an experiment.The experimental results indicate that decreases of the gap for the two packages are 4.1 μm and 17 μm when the temperature dereases 270 K.Based on the analysis of package material and structure,the gaps at both room and low temperature were calculated theoretically.The result fits well with that of the experiments and it may offer some references to the design of new package and fiber coupling in the future.