Efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection using superconducting NbTiN nanowires with high time resolution in a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler  

作　　者：Jin Chang Johannes W.N.Los Ronan Gourgues Stephan Steinhauer S.N.Dorenbos Silvania F.Pereira HPaul Urbach Val Zwiller Iman Esmaeil Zadeh 

机构地区：[1]Optics Research Group,ImPhys Department,Faculty of Applied Sciences,Delft University of Technology,Delft 2628 CJ,The Netherlands [2]Single Quantum B.V.,Delft 2628 CJ,The Netherlands [3]KTH Royal Institute of Technology,Department of Applied Physics,Albanova University Centre,10691 Stockholm,Sweden

出　　处：《Photonics Research》2022年第4期1063-1070,共8页光子学研究（英文版）

基　　金：Vetenskapsradet(2016-06122,Research Environment Grant;2013-7152,International Recruitment of Leading Researchers);Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse(Quantum Sensors);EU(899580,FET-Open project);European Commission(H2020-MSCA-ITN-642656,Marie-Sklodowska Curie action Phonsi;777222,ATTRACT project);China Scholarship Council(201603170247).

摘　　要：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 milli Kelvin(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 μm and sub-15 ps timing jitter. Furthermore, detectors from the same batch demonstrated unity internal detection efficiency at 3 μm and 80% internal efficiency at 4 μm, 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 μm, and we expect quantum optics experiments and applications in the mid-infrared range to benefit from this far-reaching technology.

关 键 词：NANOWIRES TECHNOLOGY SNSPD 

分 类 号：TN256[电子电信—物理电子学]