| 1. |
- Chang, Jin, et al.
(författare)
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Efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection using superconducting NbTiN nanowires with high time resolution in a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler
- 2022
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Ingår i: Photonics Research. - : Optica Publishing Group. - 2327-9125. ; 10:4, s. 1063-1070
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shortly after their inception, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) became the leading quantum light detection technology. With the capability of detecting single-photons with near-unity efficiency, high time resolution, low dark count rate, and fast recovery time, SNSPDs outperform conventional single-photon detection techniques. However, detecting lower energy single photons (<0.8 eV) with high efficiency and low timing jitter has remained a challenge. To achieve unity internal efficiency at mid-infrared wavelengths, previous works used amorphous superconducting materials with low energy gaps at the expense of reduced time resolution (close to a nanosecond), and by operating them in complex milliKelvin (mK) dilution refrigerators. In this work, we provide an alternative approach with SNSPDs fabricated from 5 to 9.5 nm thick NbTiN superconducting films and devices operated in conventional Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers. By optimizing the superconducting film deposition process, film thickness, and nanowire design, our fiber-coupled devices achieved >70% system detection efficiency (SDE) at 2 mu m and sub-15 ps timing jitter. Furthermore, detectors from the same batch demonstrated unity internal detection efficiency at 3 mu m and 80% internal efficiency at 4 mu m, paving the road for an efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection technology with unparalleled time resolution and without mK cooling requirements. We also systematically studied the dark count rates (DCRs) of our detectors coupled to different types of mid-infrared optical fibers and blackbody radiation filters. This offers insight into the trade-off between bandwidth and DCRs for mid-infrared SNSPDs. To conclude, this paper significantly extends the working wavelength range for SNSPDs made from polycrystalline NbTiN to 1.5-4 mu m, and we expect quantum optics experiments and applications in the mid-infrared range to benefit from this far-reaching technology. Published by Chinese Laser Press under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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| 2. |
- Chang, Jin, et al.
(författare)
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Nanowire-based integrated photonics for quantum information and quantum sensing
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nanophotonics. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2192-8614 .- 2192-8606. ; 12:3, s. 339-358
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- At the core of quantum photonic information processing and sensing, two major building pillars are single-photon emitters and single-photon detectors. In this review, we systematically summarize the working theory, material platform, fabrication process, and game-changing applications enabled by state-of-the-art quantum dots in nanowire emitters and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. Such nanowire-based quantum hardware offers promising properties for modern quantum optics experiments. We highlight several burgeoning quantum photonics applications using nanowires and discuss development trends of integrated quantum photonics. Also, we propose quantum information processing and sensing experiments for the quantum optics community, and future interdisciplinary applications.
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| 3. |
- Elshaari, Ali W., et al.
(författare)
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Dispersion engineering of superconducting waveguides for multi-pixel integration of single-photon detectors
- 2020
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Ingår i: APL Photonics. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 2378-0967. ; 5:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We use dispersion engineering to control the signal propagation speed in the feed lines of superconducting single-photon detectors. Using this technique, we demonstrate time-division-multiplexing of two-pixel detectors connected with a slow-RF transmission line, all realized using planar geometry requiring a single lithographic step. Through studying the arrival time of detection events in each pixel vs the fabricated slow-RF coplanar waveguide length, we extract a delay of 1.7 ps per 1 mu m of propagation, corresponding to detection signal speeds of similar to 0.0019c. Our results open an important avenue to explore the rich ideas of dispersion engineering and metamaterials for superconducting detector applications.
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| 4. |
- Esmaeil Zadeh, Iman, et al.
(författare)
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Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors : A perspective on evolution, state-of-the-art, future developments, and applications
- 2021
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 118:19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two decades after their demonstration, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have become indispensable tools for quantum photonics as well as for many other photon-starved applications. This invention has not only led to a burgeoning academic field with a wide range of applications but also triggered industrial efforts. Current state-of-the-art SNSPDs combine near-unity detection efficiency over a wide spectral range, low dark counts, short dead times, and picosecond time resolution. The present perspective discusses important milestones and progress of SNSPDs research, emerging applications, and future challenges and gives an outlook on technological developments required to bring SNSPDs to the next level: a photon-counting, fast time-tagging imaging, and multi-pixel technology that is also compatible with quantum photonic integrated circuits.
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| 5. |
- Zadeh, Iman Esmaeil, et al.
(författare)
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Efficient Single-Photon Detection with 7.7 ps Time Resolution for Photon-Correlation Measurements
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS Photonics. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2330-4022. ; 7:7, s. 1780-1787
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A broad range of scientific and industrial disciplines require precise optical measurements at very low light levels. Single-photon detectors combining high efficiency and high time resolution are pivotal in such experiments. By using relatively thick films of NbTiN (8-11 nm) and improving the pattern fidelity of the nanostructure of the superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD), we fabricated devices demonstrating superior performance over all previously reported detectors in the combination of efficiency and time resolution. Our findings prove that small variations in the nanowire width, in the order of a few nanometers, can lead to a significant penalty on their temporal response. Addressing these issues, we consistently achieved high time resolution (best device 7.7 ps, other devices similar to 10-16 ps) simultaneously with high system detection efficiencies (80-90%) in the wavelength range of 780-1000 nm, as well as in the telecom bands (1310-1550 nm). The use of thicker films allowed us to fabricate large-area multipixel devices with homogeneous pixel performance. We first fabricated and characterized a 100 x 100 mu m(2) 16-pixel detector and showed there was little variation among individual pixels. Additionally, to showcase the power of our platform, we fabricated and characterized 4-pixel multimode fiber-coupled detectors and carried out photon-correlation experiments on a nanowire quantum dot resulting in g(2) (0) values lower than 0.04. The multipixel detectors alleviate the need for beamsplitters and can be used for higher order correlations with promising prospects not only in the field of quantum optics, but also in bioimaging applications, such as fluorescence microscopy and positron emission tomography.
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