Efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection using superconducting NbTiN nanowires with high time resolution in a Gifford-McMahon cryocoolerShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Photonics Research, ISSN 2327-9125, Vol. 10, no 4, p. 1063-1070Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
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.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Optica Publishing Group , 2022. Vol. 10, no 4, p. 1063-1070
National Category
Condensed Matter Physics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-311306DOI: 10.1364/PRJ.437834ISI: 000778803900025Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85127545044OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-311306DiVA, id: diva2:1653485
Note
QC 20220422
2022-04-222022-04-222022-06-25Bibliographically approved