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Superconductor Science and Technology

Nanobridge SQUIDs as calorimetric inductive particle detectors

John C. Gallop, David Cox, Ling Hao

Published Jul 13, 2015• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) have made dramatic progress since their invention some 65 years ago (Andrews et al 1949 Phys. Rev. 76 154–155 ; Irwin and Hilton 2005 Topics Appl. Phys. 99 63–149) until now there are major imaging arrays of TESs with as many as 7588 separate sensors. These are extensively used by astronomers for some ground-breaking observations (Hattori et al 2013 Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 732 299–302 ). The great success of TES systems has tended to overshadow other superconducting sensor developments. However there are other types (Sobolewski et al 2003 IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 13 1151–7 ; Hadfield 2009 Nat. Photonics 3 696–705 ) which are discussed in papers within this special edition of the journal. Here we describe a quite different type of detector, also applicable to single photon detection but possessing possible advantages (higher sensitivity, higher operating temperature) over the conventional TES, at least for single detectors.

DOI
10.1088/0953-2048/28/8/084002

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Abstract Superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) have made dramatic progress since their invention some 65 years ago (Andrews et al 1949 Phys. Rev. 76 154–155 ; Irwin and Hilton 2005 Topics Appl. Phys. 99 63–149) until now there are major imaging arrays of TESs with as many as 7588 separate sensors. These are extensively used by astronomers for some ground-breaking observations (Hattori et al 2013 Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 732 299–302 ). The great success of TES systems has tended to overshadow other superconducting sensor developments. However there are other types (Sobolewski et al 2003 IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 13 1151–7 ; Hadfield 2009 Nat. Photonics 3 696–705 ) which are discussed in papers within this special edition of the journal. Here we describe a quite different type of detector, also applicable to single photon detection but possessing possible advantages (higher sensitivity, higher operating temperature) over the conventional TES, at least for single detectors.
Superconducting single-photon detectors have been shown to have extremely high detection efficiency over a large wavelength range, typically exceeding 90 % [1, 2]. Their use in quantum and classical optics is becoming more and more widespread in part due to improvements to and ease of use of the cryogenic packaging. In this talk, we will review two superconducting detector technologies, the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) and the optical transition-edge sensor (TES) [3], that are being developed at NIST. We will also describe their applications in quantum and classical optics and present our recent effort to use these detectors as calibration standards, as well as our effort to establish a single-photon detector calibration service. Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors The SNSPD is based on a meandering, narrow, thin superconducting nanowire, current-biased close to its critical current. Our SNSPDs operate at temperatures around 1K. When a photon is absorbed in the detection region, the energy deposited drives the wire normal and a voltage pulse can be observed. Due to the speed of the detection process, the SNSPD offers high timing resolution along with detection of the photon flux at the shot-noise limit. The combination of both these features yields a detector that can measure the photon’s arrival time from a faint object or source. SNSPDs also offer single-photon detection capability beyond the wavelength detection range of silicon and InGaAs, out to at least 5000 nm [4]. SNSPDs were also recently implemented in an 8×8-pixel array enabling low-resolution, real-time imaging [5]. For our calibration service effort, we built an SNSPD system that can be used as a transfer standard between labs for single-photon detector calibrations. Transition Edge Sensors In contrast to the SNSPD, the TES is a photon-number resolving detector that has almost unity detection efficiency. The TES consists of a superconducting thin film, voltage-biased so that its resistance is in the transition between the superconducting regime and the normal conducting regime. The steep slope of the resistive transition allows for small temperature changes to be measured. The TES is designed such that the absorption of a single photon increases the temperature of the superconducting film enough to discern the resulting signal from the TES system noise. Therefore, the TES needs to be electrically and thermally quiet and is generally operated at temperatures around 100 mK. Due to its energy resolving capability, the TES can be also used as a spectrally resolving single-photon detector with limited resolution [6]. The TES can also be operated as a cryogenic radiometer in combination with an electrical substitution method, and can, in principle, yield absolute calibration of optical powers on the order of a few tens of femtowatts [7]. References 1 A. E. Lita, A. J. Miller, and S. W. Nam, Opt. Express 16, 3032 (2008). 2 F. Marsili, et al., Nat Photon 7, 210 (2013). 3 R. Hadfield and G. Johansson, Superconducting Devices in Quantum Optics (Springer, 2016). 4 F. Marsili, et al., in CLEO: 2013 (OSA, San Jose, California, 2013), p. CTu1H.1. 5 M. S. Allman, et al., Applied Physics Letters 106, 192601 (2015). 6 M. Fortsch, et al., Journal of Optics 17, 065501 (2015). 7 N. A. Tomlin, J. H. Lehman, and S. Nam, Optics Letters 37, 2346 (2012).
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.
Over the past decade, there have been increasing demand on and interest in high performance single photon detectors in many new applications in quantum information technology. Compared with conventional single photon detectors, superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) based single photon detectors have great advantages in the performance of detection efficiency, energy resolution, photon number resolving capability, dark count rate, etc. They have been successfully used in quantum optics experiments and quantum key distribution systems, and they will play a more important role in the research field of quantum information science and technology. In this paper we review the operating principle, fabrication process, performance, measurement system and the research progress on superconducting TES based single photon detectors.
SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices) have been in use for more than half a century and constitute one of the first macroscopic quantum devices. SQUIDs operating at millikelvin temperatures can act as qubits for quantum computers and the recent reports of more than 50 qubit circuits indicate how far the technology has developed. In this talk, the author will describe two other applications of SQUIDs as quantum detectors, focusing on single spin and single photon energy resolving detection. Most superconducting devices rely on tri-layer Josephson tunnel junctions which are not easily scalable to the nanoscale. We have developed a Josephson junction fabrication method, based on electron beam lithography or focused ion beam milling of a single thin film of superconductor (Nb generally) which can provide sizes down to 50 nm. These devices are particularly relevant for two main applications in quantum technology and metrology. First, by shrinking the size of the SQUID loop and the junctions to around 200 nm, the sensitivity of the SQUID for magnetization measurements is improved to the level where a single electron spin flip may be detected. This is possible at the relatively elevated temperature of 4K.  We are working with Surrey University to implant single magnetic ions within the SQUID loop to provide a platform to test this combination as the basis for a new form of qubit operating at higher temperatures than the conventional Transmon superconducting devices. A second SQUID based detector which we are developing is an inductive transition edge sensor device (ISTED) for energy resolving measurements of single photons. This is based on the development of conventional transition edge sensors where we detect the change of the penetration depth of a small thin film of superconductor when it absorbs a photon. In this way, a major source of noise in conventional TES may be avoided since the absorber remains in the superconducting state at all times. In this way we have demonstrated single photon detection at 633 nm with 0.1eV resolution at operating temperature of 7.5K.
Detectors with sufficient sensitivity to resolve the energy of single photons and particles combined with rapid response times are becoming increasingly important. We describe work in progress on a recently-proposed type of sensor, which we have named the Inductive Superconducting Transition Edge Detector (ISTED). We have theoretically estimated the energy sensitivity of such a sensor, in the case where the heat absorber is incorporated within the sensitive area of a nano-scale SQUID which acts as an inductive readout device. Recent results on the experimental characterization of prototype devices in the temperature range 5-8 K are presented, and ongoing work which is intended to achieve smaller device dimensions together with lower operating temperatures is described.
Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs) are microcalorimeters that measure the energy of incident single photons by the resistance increase of a superconducting film biased within the superconducting-to-normal transition. TES are able to detect single photons from IR to X-ray with an intrinsic energy resolution and photon-number discrimination capability. Metrology, astronomy and quantum \ncommunication are the fields where these properties can be particularly useful. In this work, we report about characterization of different TESs based on Ti films. Single photons have been detected from 200nm to 800 nm working at transition temperature Tc ∼ 100 mK. Using a pulsed laser at 690nm we have demonstrated the capability to resolve up to five photons.