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中国物理B:英文版

Statistical analysis of the temporal single-photon response of superconducting nanowire single photon detection

何宇昊, 吕超林, 张伟君, 张露, 巫君杰, 陈思井, 尤立星, 王镇

Published Jan 1, 2015• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A new method to study the transient detection efficiency(DE) and pulse amplitude of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors(SNSPD) during the current recovery process is proposed — statistically analyzing the single photon response under photon illumination with a high repetition rate.The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event.This proves that static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event.The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.

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•Jan 1, 2020•21 citations
A new method to study the transient detection efficiency(DE) and pulse amplitude of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors(SNSPD) during the current recovery process is proposed — statistically analyzing the single photon response under photon illumination with a high repetition rate.The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event.This proves that static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event.The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.
Counting rate is a key parameter of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) and is determined by the current recovery time of an SNSPD after a detection event. We propose a new method to study the transient detection efficiency (DE) and pulse amplitude during the current recovery process by statistically analyzing the single photon response of an SNSPD under photon illumination with a high repetition rate. The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event. This proves that the static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event. The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are an attractive technology for applications which benefit from high-count rate photon detection such as quantum communication protocols, photon-starved classical communications, metrology of single-emitters, and photonic quantum computing. However, at high-count rates, a significant portion of photons may be incident during recovery intervals following prior detection events. After detection, the device efficiency recovers over nanoseconds to tens of nanoseconds before reaching a steadystate value. Therefore, for a given SNSPD bias current setpoint, a single efficiency and recovery time specification may not be sufficient to characterize the performance of a device at high count rates. Here we present and experimentally validate a model of the recovery time as a function of bias current for any given system efficiency. These results may be used to improve analysis of measurements performed using SNSPDs operating in the high count rate regime.
We report on the observation of a non-uniform dark count rate in Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs), specifically focusing on an afterpulsing effect present when the SNSPD is operated at a high bias current regime. The afterpulsing exists for real detection events (triggered by input photons) as well as for dark counts (no laser input). In our standard set-up, the afterpulsing is most likely to occur at around 180 ns following a detection event, for both real counts and dark counts. We characterize the afterpulsing behavior and speculate that it is not due to the SNSPD itself but rather the amplifiers used to boost the electrical output signal from the SNSPD. We show that the afterpulsing indeed disappears when we use a different amplifier with a better low frequency response. We also examine the short-lived enhancement of detection efficiency during the recovery of the SNSPD due to temporary perturbation of the bias and grounding conditions.
Nanophotonic circuitry and superconducting nanowires have been successfully combined for detecting single photons, propagating in an integrated photonic circuit, with high efficiency and low noise and timing uncertainty. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) can nowadays be engineered to achieve subnanosecond recovery times and can potentially be adopted for applications requiring Gcps count rates. However, particular attention shall be paid to such an extreme count rate regime since artifacts in the detector functionality emerge. In particular, a count-rate dependent detection efficiency has been encountered that can compromise the accuracy of quantum detector tomography experiments. Here, we investigate the response of waveguide-integrated SNSPDs at high photon flux and identify the presence of parasitic currents due to the accumulation of charge in the readout electronics to cause the above-mentioned artifact in the detection efficiency. Our approach allows us to determine the maximum photon count rate at which the detector can be operated without adverse effects. Our findings are particularly important to avoid artifacts when applying SNSPDs for quantum tomography.
An abnormal increase in the SDE was observed for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) when the bias current (I(b)) was close to the switching current (I(sw)). By introducing the time-correlated single-photon counting technique, we investigated the temporal histogram of the detection counts of an SNSPD under illumination. The temporal information helps us to distinguish photon counts from dark counts in the time domain. In this manner, the dark count rate (DCR) under illumination and the accurate SDE can be determined. The DCR under moderate illumination may be significantly larger than the conventional DCR measured without illumination under a high I(b), which causes the abnormal increase in the SDE. The increased DCR may be explained by the suppression of I(sw) under illumination.
One of the key properties of single-photon detectors is their recovery time, i.e. the time required for the detector to recover its nominal efficiency. In the case of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), which can feature extremely short recovery times in free-running mode, a precise characterization of this recovery time and its time dynamics is essential for many quantum optics or quantum communication experiments. We introduce a fast and simple method to characterize precisely the recovery time of SNSPDs. It provides full information about the recovery of the efficiency in time for a single or several consecutive detections. We also show how the method can be used to gain insight into the behavior of the bias current inside the nanowire after a detection, which allows predicting the behavior of the detector and its efficiency in any practical experiment using these detectors.