Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

IET conference proceedings.

NbN waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors on 200 mm SOI wafers

V. Brisson, Joël Bleuse, Raouia Rhazi, Jonathan Faugier-Tovar, Jean‐Michel Gérard, S. Olivier

Published Nov 13, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate NbN-based waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors fabricated on 200 mm SOI wafers using a fully CMOS-compatible process. We achieve 81 % efficiency at 100 Hz dark count rate, 3.2 ns decay time and 200 MHz maximum count rate.
DOI
10.1049/icp.2023.2463

Related papers

NbN superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors integrated on Si-based waveguide using CMOS-compatible processing on 200 mm wafers

Valentin Brisson, Joël Bleuse, Raouia Rhazi +3 more

There is an increasing demand for superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) which combine high efficiency, low dark counts and fast response time. They play a crucial role in developing strategic application areas such as photon-based quantum computing and quantum key distribution. We demonstrate the fabrication of high crystalline quality NbN-based waveguide-integrated SNSPDs using a completely CMOS-compatible process on 200 mm SOI wafers. We achieve a detection efficiency over 80 % at 100 Hz dark count rate, a short decay time below 4 ns and a maximum count rate of 200 MHz.

Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies•Mar 13, 2024•0 citations

Development of NbN-based superconducting single photon detectors on silicon platform

Raouia Rhazi, Yohan Désières, Jonathan Faugier-Tovar +6 more

Quantum information processing brings new protocols to the field of communications, by ensuring absolute security of information transfer thanks to the laws of quantum physics. Furthermore, in the field of computing, quantum processing offers the perspective of performing massively parallel calculations, orders of magnitude faster than with a classical computer. For these two applications, excellent detectors are required with ultimate performances. Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) are the best candidate, as they can reach near-unity detection efficiency. We are developing on-chip waveguide integrated SNSPDs on 200 mm SOI wafers, addressing both the material, architecture design and fabrication process challenges.

Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies•Mar 4, 2022•1 citation

NbN-on-Si superconducting nanowire single photon detectors: effect of a sputtered AlN buffer layer

Raouia Rhazi, H. Machhadani, Catherine Bougerol +8 more

Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors stand today as the best technology, due to their near-unity detection efficiency, low dark count rates, and low timing jitter. In this work, we demonstrate the improvement of the superconducting properties of NbN thin films on 8” silicon-on-insulator wafers by using an ultra-thin (10-15 nm) sputtered AlN buffer layer. The higher crystalline quality of NbN, leads to an increase of the superconducting critical temperature up to 10 K for 9-nm-thick NbN films. The material was validated for single photon detection using a fiber-coupled vertical SNSPD with half-cavity architecture. This results opens the way for the development of CMOS compatible waveguide-integrated detectors. The implementation of such guided devices is a keystone for the development of a fully integrated quantum photonics platform able to generate, manipulate and detect a large number of photonic qubits for secure communications and quantum computing applications.

Advanced Photon Counting Techniques•Apr 8, 2021•0 citations

Cavity-Enhanced Superconducting Single Photon Detectors

Julian Münzberg, Andreas Vetter, Wladislaw Hartmann +5 more

Single photon technology is enabling for quantum communication and processing. Combining single photon sources, routing circuitry and highly efficient detectors in a high yield, low-loss and scalable fashion represent today a major challenge. Nanophotonic devices allow for the realization of on-chip small footprint architectures for generating, manipulating and detecting single photons. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors are today state-of-the art devices capable of detecting single photons propagating in an integrated photonic circuit with high efficiency, speed and low timing uncertainty. Their excellent metrics in the near-infrared allows to directly interface on-chip devices with existing C-Band communication technology systems. To move towards high communication speed, efficient detectors able to sustain Gcps count rate are desirable. Here we present the design process and the experimental characterization of a new generation of fast detectors, consisting of µm-long NbN superconducting nanowires embedded in a SOI two-dimensional photonic crystal cavity. Almost 70% efficiency at telecommunication wavelengths has been achieved with negligible dark counts and sub-ns recovery time, which could enable Gcps count rates.

International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks•Jul 1, 2018•0 citations

Waveguide integrated superconducting single-photon detectors with high internal quantum efficiency at telecom wavelengths

Oliver Kahl, Simone Ferrari, Vadim V. Kovalyuk +3 more

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) provide high efficiency for detecting individual photons while keeping dark counts and timing jitter minimal. Besides superior detection performance over a broad optical bandwidth, compatibility with an integrated optical platform is a crucial requirement for applications in emerging quantum photonic technologies. Here we present SNSPDs embedded in nanophotonic integrated circuits which achieve internal quantum efficiencies close to unity at 1550 nm wavelength. This allows for the SNSPDs to be operated at bias currents far below the critical current where unwanted dark count events reach milli-Hz levels while on-chip detection efficiencies above 70% are maintained. The measured dark count rates correspond to noise-equivalent powers in the 10(-19) W/Hz(-1/2) range and the timing jitter is as low as 35 ps. Our detectors are fully scalable and interface directly with waveguide-based optical platforms.

Scientific Reports•Jun 10, 2015•111 citations

A waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detector with a spot-size converter on a Si photonics platform

Hiroyuki Shibata, Tatsurou Hiraki, Tai Tsuchizawa +3 more

Abstract We report a high system detection-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) with a spot-size converter (SSC) on a Si photonics platform. The NbN-SNSPD is evanescently coupled to the Si waveguide and connected to the optical fibre through the low-loss SSC comprising a Si inverse taper and large silica-based core. The fabricated SNSPD chip was assembled on a low-loss fibre-coupled module. The fibre coupling loss of the module is remarkably small (1.9 dB/facet). The fabricated SNSPD module shows system detection efficiency of 32% with the dark count rate of 95 Hz and timing jitter of 75 ps. The measured system detection efficiency is over ten times larger than that of previous waveguide-integrated SNSPDs on the Si platform. The noise equivalent power reaches 3.6 × 10 −18 W Hz −1/2 , and the figure of merit reaches 1.9 × 10 8 .

Superconductor Science and Technology•Dec 12, 2018•17 citations
There is an increasing demand for superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) which combine high efficiency, low dark counts and fast response time. They play a crucial role in developing strategic application areas such as photon-based quantum computing and quantum key distribution. We demonstrate the fabrication of high crystalline quality NbN-based waveguide-integrated SNSPDs using a completely CMOS-compatible process on 200 mm SOI wafers. We achieve a detection efficiency over 80 % at 100 Hz dark count rate, a short decay time below 4 ns and a maximum count rate of 200 MHz.
Quantum information processing brings new protocols to the field of communications, by ensuring absolute security of information transfer thanks to the laws of quantum physics. Furthermore, in the field of computing, quantum processing offers the perspective of performing massively parallel calculations, orders of magnitude faster than with a classical computer. For these two applications, excellent detectors are required with ultimate performances. Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) are the best candidate, as they can reach near-unity detection efficiency. We are developing on-chip waveguide integrated SNSPDs on 200 mm SOI wafers, addressing both the material, architecture design and fabrication process challenges.
Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors stand today as the best technology, due to their near-unity detection efficiency, low dark count rates, and low timing jitter. In this work, we demonstrate the improvement of the superconducting properties of NbN thin films on 8” silicon-on-insulator wafers by using an ultra-thin (10-15 nm) sputtered AlN buffer layer. The higher crystalline quality of NbN, leads to an increase of the superconducting critical temperature up to 10 K for 9-nm-thick NbN films. The material was validated for single photon detection using a fiber-coupled vertical SNSPD with half-cavity architecture. This results opens the way for the development of CMOS compatible waveguide-integrated detectors. The implementation of such guided devices is a keystone for the development of a fully integrated quantum photonics platform able to generate, manipulate and detect a large number of photonic qubits for secure communications and quantum computing applications.
Single photon technology is enabling for quantum communication and processing. Combining single photon sources, routing circuitry and highly efficient detectors in a high yield, low-loss and scalable fashion represent today a major challenge. Nanophotonic devices allow for the realization of on-chip small footprint architectures for generating, manipulating and detecting single photons. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors are today state-of-the art devices capable of detecting single photons propagating in an integrated photonic circuit with high efficiency, speed and low timing uncertainty. Their excellent metrics in the near-infrared allows to directly interface on-chip devices with existing C-Band communication technology systems. To move towards high communication speed, efficient detectors able to sustain Gcps count rate are desirable. Here we present the design process and the experimental characterization of a new generation of fast detectors, consisting of µm-long NbN superconducting nanowires embedded in a SOI two-dimensional photonic crystal cavity. Almost 70% efficiency at telecommunication wavelengths has been achieved with negligible dark counts and sub-ns recovery time, which could enable Gcps count rates.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) provide high efficiency for detecting individual photons while keeping dark counts and timing jitter minimal. Besides superior detection performance over a broad optical bandwidth, compatibility with an integrated optical platform is a crucial requirement for applications in emerging quantum photonic technologies. Here we present SNSPDs embedded in nanophotonic integrated circuits which achieve internal quantum efficiencies close to unity at 1550 nm wavelength. This allows for the SNSPDs to be operated at bias currents far below the critical current where unwanted dark count events reach milli-Hz levels while on-chip detection efficiencies above 70% are maintained. The measured dark count rates correspond to noise-equivalent powers in the 10(-19) W/Hz(-1/2) range and the timing jitter is as low as 35 ps. Our detectors are fully scalable and interface directly with waveguide-based optical platforms.
Abstract We report a high system detection-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) with a spot-size converter (SSC) on a Si photonics platform. The NbN-SNSPD is evanescently coupled to the Si waveguide and connected to the optical fibre through the low-loss SSC comprising a Si inverse taper and large silica-based core. The fabricated SNSPD chip was assembled on a low-loss fibre-coupled module. The fibre coupling loss of the module is remarkably small (1.9 dB/facet). The fabricated SNSPD module shows system detection efficiency of 32% with the dark count rate of 95 Hz and timing jitter of 75 ps. The measured system detection efficiency is over ten times larger than that of previous waveguide-integrated SNSPDs on the Si platform. The noise equivalent power reaches 3.6 × 10 −18 W Hz −1/2 , and the figure of merit reaches 1.9 × 10 8 .