Characterization of superconducting pulse discriminators based on parallel NbN nanostriplines

A superconducting pulse discriminator based on a cascade switch to the normal state of parallel ultrathin NbN nanostrips has been fabricated and carefully investigated. Correct operation was achieved using 1 ns input pulses with amplitudes down to 15 µA. The discriminator had a peak current gain of 12 and an FWHM timing jitter of 80 ps, limited by our measurement instrument resolution. These characteristics, together with simple on-chip integration, small area and low dissipation, make this device suitable for applications such as readout of fast cryogenic detectors and the output stage of superconducting digital circuits

Prediction of free-stall occupancy rate in dairycattle barns through fuzzy sets

The goal of this study was to develop a fuzzy model to predict the occupancy rate of free-stalls facilities of dairy cattle, aiding to optimize the design of projects. The following input variables were defined for the development of the fuzzy system: dry bulb temperature (Tdb, °C), wet bulb temperature (Twb, °C) and black globe temperature (Tbg, °C). Based on the input variables, the fuzzy system predicts the occupancy rate (OR, %) of dairy cattle in free-stall barns. For the model validation, data collecting were conducted on the facilities of the Intensive System of Milk Production (SIPL), in the Dairy Cattle National Research Center (CNPGL) of Embrapa. The OR values, estimated by the fuzzy system, presented values of average standard deviation of 3.93%, indicating low rate of errors in the simulation. Simulated and measured results were statistically equal (P>0.05, t Test). After validating the proposed model, the average percentage of correct answers for the simulated data was 89.7%. Therefore, the fuzzy system developed for the occupancy rate prediction of free-stalls facilities for dairy cattle allowed a realistic prediction of stalls occupancy rate, allowing the planning and design of free-stall barns

Timing jitter of cascade switch superconducting nanowire single photon detectors

We investigate the timing jitter in parallel superconducting NbN-nanowire single photon detectors based on a cascade switch mechanism. The measured timing jitter is asymmetric and has an oscillatory dependence on bias current. At the highest bias current the full width at half maximum was 1.5 times larger than an on-chip reference meander NbN nanowire. A physical model of the dynamics occurring during cascade switch is developed, that quantitatively accounts for our observations as a consequence of different nanowire critical currents within the detector

Experimental characterization of NbN nanowire optical detectors with parallel stripline configuration

We have developed a novel geometrical configuration for NbN-based superconducting single photon optical detector (SSPD) that achieves two goals: a much lower intrinsic impedance, and a consequently greater bandwidth, and a much larger signal amplitude compared to the standard meandered configuration. This has been obtained by implementing a properly designed parallel stripline structure where a cascade switching mechanism occurs when one of the striplines is hit by an optical photon. The overall switching occurs synchronously and in a very short time, giving rise to a strong and fast voltage pulse. The SSPD have been realized using state of the art NbN deposition technology and e-beam lithography. The strips are 100 nm wide and 5 μm long and have been realized with 4 nm NbN film on sapphire and Si substrate. We report on experimental characterization of such novel devices. The performances of the proposed novel type of SSPD are compared with standard SSPD design and results in terms of signal amplitude, risetime and effective detection area

Fabrication and test of Superconducting Single Photon Detectors

We report here on the state of our fabrication process for Superconducting Single Photon Detectors (SSPDs). We have fabricated submicrometer SSPD structures by electron beam lithography using very thin (10 nm) NbN films deposited by DC-magnetron sputtering on different substrates and at room substrate temperature. The structures show a fast optical response (risetime o500 ps limited by readout electronics) and interesting self-resetting features

Recent research trends for superconducting detectors: introduction for the special issue ‘Focus on Superconducting Dectectors’

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