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Laser Induced Relaxation Oscillations in Superconducting Nanobridge Single Photon Detectors

F. B. Baalbergen, Iman Esmaeil Zadeh, M. J. A. de Dood

Published Jan 1, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present the first observations of laser synchronised relaxation oscillations in superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. Understanding the thermal feedback behind these oscillations aids the development of photon number resolving and higher count rate detectors.
DOI
10.1364/quantum.2024.qw3a.25

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We demonstrate laser-induced relaxation oscillations in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). These oscillations appear when a voltage-biased Nb Ti N nanobridge detector is illuminated with intense pulsed-laser light at a repetition rate of approximately 19 MHz . They differ from the well-known relaxation oscillations by a stepwise increase in frequency and phase locking of the oscillations to the laser pulses. We create a model that incorporates electrical feedback and excludes thermal effects to simulate and explain the origin of the observed laser-induced relaxation oscillations. Qualitative agreement to the experiment is achieved using realistic values for the parameters in the model.
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