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Advanced Photon Counting Techniques

Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors and detector arrays in the mid-infrared

Varun Boehm Verma, Boris A. Korzh, Emma E. Wollman, Yao Zhai, Alexander B. Walter, Ekkehart Schmidt, Adriana E. Lita, Jason P. Allmaras, Matthew D. Shaw, Richard P. Mirin, Sae Woo Nam

Published May 27, 2022• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We will discuss recently-developed approaches to improve sensitivity of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors in the mid-infrared, showing saturated internal detection efficiency up to a wavelength of 10 microns. We will also show preliminary data from small 64-element SNSPD arrays with high internal detection efficiency in the midinfrared at 3.5 μm, and will discuss calibration techniques we are developing for measuring system detection efficiency in this region of the spectrum.

DOI
10.1117/12.2619230

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Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are widely used for detecting individual photons across various wavelengths from ultraviolet to near-infrared range. Recently, there has been increasing interest in enhancing their sensitivity to single photons in the mid-infrared spectrum, driven by applications in quantum communication, spectroscopy, and astrophysics. Here, we present our efforts to expand the spectral detection capabilities of U-shaped NbTiN-based superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, fabricated in a 2-wire configuration on a silicon-on-insulator substrate, into the mid-infrared range. We demonstrate saturated internal detection efficiency extending up to a wavelength of 3.5 μm for a 5 nm thick and 50 nm wide NbTiN nanowire with a dark count rate less than 10 counts per second at 0.9 K and a rapid recovery time of 4.3 ns. The detectors are engineered for integration on waveguides in a silicon-on-insulator platform for compact, multi-channel device applications.
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