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Intrinsic Timing Jitter and Latency in Superconducting Nanowire Single-photon Detectors

Jason P. Allmaras, Alexander G. Kozorezov, Boris A. Korzh, Karl K. Berggren, Matthew D. Shaw

Published Feb 1, 2019• 18 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We analyze the origin of the intrinsic timing jitter in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors in terms of fluctuations in the latency of the detector response, which is determined by the microscopic physics of the photon-detection process. We demonstrate that fluctuations in the physical parameters, which determine the latency, give rise to the intrinsic timing jitter. We develop a general description of latency by introducing the explicit time dependence of the internal detection efficiency. By considering the dynamic Fano fluctuations together with static spatial inhomogeneities, we study the details of the connection between latency and timing jitter. We develop both a simple phenomenological model and a more general microscopic model of detector latency and timing jitter based on the solution of the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for the 1D hotbelt geometry. While the analytical model is sufficient for qualitative interpretation of recent data, the general approach establishes the framework for a more quantitative analysis of detector latency and the fundamental limits of intrinsic timing jitter. These theoretical advances can be used to interpret the results of recent experiments measuring the dependence of detection latency and timing jitter on photon energy to the few-picosecond level.

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Recent progress in the development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) has delivered excellent performance and has had a great impact on a range of research fields. The timing jitter, which denotes the temporal resolution of the detection, is a crucial parameter for many applications. Despite extensive work since their apparition, the lowest jitter achievable with SNSPDs is still not clear, and the origin of the intrinsic limits is not fully understood. Understanding its intrinsic behavior and limits is a mandatory step toward improvements. Here, we report our experimental study on the intrinsically-limited timing jitter in molybdenum silicide SNSPDs. We show that to reach intrinsic jitter, crucial properties such as the latching current and the kinetic inductance of the devices have to be understood. The dependence on the nanowire thickness and the energy dependence of the intrinsic jitter are quantified, and the origin of the limits is exhibited. System timing jitter of 6.0 ps at 532 nm and 10.6 ps at 1550 nm photon wavelength has been obtained.

•Jan 1, 2019•21 citations
We analyze the origin of the intrinsic timing jitter in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors in terms of fluctuations in the latency of the detector response, which is determined by the microscopic physics of the photon-detection process. We demonstrate that fluctuations in the physical parameters, which determine the latency, give rise to the intrinsic timing jitter. We develop a general description of latency by introducing the explicit time dependence of the internal detection efficiency. By considering the dynamic Fano fluctuations together with static spatial inhomogeneities, we study the details of the connection between latency and timing jitter. We develop both a simple phenomenological model and a more general microscopic model of detector latency and timing jitter based on the solution of the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for the 1D hotbelt geometry. While the analytical model is sufficient for qualitative interpretation of recent data, the general approach establishes the framework for a more quantitative analysis of detector latency and the fundamental limits of intrinsic timing jitter. These theoretical advances can be used to interpret the results of recent experiments measuring the dependence of detection latency and timing jitter on photon energy to the few-picosecond level.
The topic of latency in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs, the fastest type of such sensors) is of interest for understanding the absolute limits of timing performance in these devices, but so far no model of the detection mechanism could quantitatively explain recent measurements of intrinsic jitter and latency. This analysis of the connection between detector latency and timing jitter in the presence of Fano fluctuations and spatial nonuniformity provides a framework for studying the intrinsic jitter in SNSPDs, and suggests that intrinsic jitter could be reduced by enhancing scattering to suppress superconductivity as quickly as possible.
Timing jitter inherent in photon detection by superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors has different values and behaves differently for detection events originating in bends and in straights of nanowires. Generally, jitter is larger for events in bends. Although, for typical meandering nanowire, contribution of bends to the integral jitter is almost negligible due to small geometric weight of bends in the meander, it reduces the accuracy of extracting the value of local jitter in straights. Here we report on the intrinsic jitter, which was measured in a straight nanowire without bends. Standard deviation in the intrinsic jitter for detection events in the straight nanowire is smaller than 6.5 ps for photons with the wavelength 794 nm and 7.7 ps for 1560 nm. This value is less than jitter magnitudes in straights, which were extracted from the jitter measured previously for the meandering nanowire. Coupling of photons to the nanowire through sufficiently long optical fiber increases integral jitter and causes asymmetry in the jitter histogram. However, this optical asymmetry differs qualitatively from the asymmetry caused by the detection process itself at small photon energies.
A 2D hot spot diffusion model for describing the superconducting nanowire response to single photon is presented. We develop the 1D hot belt model to 2D hot spot model and can capture the initial stage of the hot spot evolution after photon absorption, this is helpful to comprehensive understand the origins and underlying physics of time jitter in superconducting nanowire-based single-photon detectors. Furthermore, the developed model can qualitatively explain the asymmetry and photon wavelength dependent probability density function (PDF) of the delay time. We find that the left and right half of the PDF distributions respective exhibit the Gauss and non-Gauss shape as increasing the excitation wavelength or decreasing the bias current, and the origins are discussed and analyzed in the framework of newly developed 2D model. The proposed 2D hot spot diffusion model will not only sheds light on the origin and influence of the timing jitter but will also reveal the work principle of the superconducting nanowire devices.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have demonstrated timing jitter in the few-picosecond regime, yet their timing resolution deteriorates substantially under high-count-rate operation. Existing interpretations mainly attribute this degradation to deterministic waveform distortions, such as multiphoton responses and pulse pile-up, yet the experimentally observed jitter broadening at high count rates cannot be fully accounted for within this picture. Here, we show that stochastic baseline fluctuations arising from finite-memory readout dynamics constitute an intrinsic source of the count-rate-dependent timing jitter in SNSPD systems. For stochastically arriving photons, overlapping recovery responses accumulate in the readout chain and generate statistically fluctuating baselines, which are converted into timing uncertainty through threshold-based timing extraction. We develop a stochastic-process framework that quantitatively connects photon statistics, readout dynamics, and timing jitter. The framework predicts characteristic scaling behaviors, including a nonmonotonic dependence of baseline fluctuations under pulsed excitation with a maximum near half of the repetition frequency. These predictions are quantitatively verified through systematic variations of count rate, circuit time constant, and detector dynamical properties. Our results identify stochastic baseline dynamics as a fundamental mechanism limiting timing resolution in high-count-rate SNSPD operation and provide a general framework for optimizing finite-memory high-speed photon-counting systems.
We investigated the timing jitter of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and found a strong dependence on the detector response. By varying the multi-layer structure, we observed changes in pulse shape which are attributed to capacitive behaviour affecting the pulse heights, rise times and consequently timing jitter. Moreover, we developed a technique to predict the timing jitter of a single device within certain limits by capturing only a single detector pulse, eliminating the need for detailed jitter measurement using a pulsed laser when a rough estimate of the timing jitter is sufficient.
Recent progress in the development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) has delivered excellent performance and has had a great impact on a range of research fields. The timing jitter, which denotes the temporal resolution of the detection, is a crucial parameter for many applications. Despite extensive work since their apparition, the lowest jitter achievable with SNSPDs is still not clear, and the origin of the intrinsic limits is not fully understood. Understanding its intrinsic behavior and limits is a mandatory step toward improvements. Here, we report our experimental study on the intrinsically-limited timing jitter in molybdenum silicide SNSPDs. We show that to reach intrinsic jitter, crucial properties such as the latching current and the kinetic inductance of the devices have to be understood. The dependence on the nanowire thickness and the energy dependence of the intrinsic jitter are quantified, and the origin of the limits is exhibited. System timing jitter of 6.0 ps at 532 nm and 10.6 ps at 1550 nm photon wavelength has been obtained.