Superconducting Single Photon Detectors

This thesis is about the development of a detector for single photons, particles of light. New techniques are being developed that require high performance single photon detection, such as quantum cryptography, single molecule detection, optical radar, ballistic imaging, circuit testing and fluorescence spectroscopy. Superconducting single photon detectors (SSPDs) are sensitive to single photons from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. In this thesis steps has been taken towards improving this type of detectors and implementing them in experiments. We have fabricated SSPDs in the Van Leeuwenhoek Laboratory at the TU Delft from NbTiN on an oxidized silicon substrate and we show world record system detection efficiencies at telecommunication wavelengths. In addtition, we have adjusted the geometry to get rid of the polarization dependence of the quantum efficiency. SSPDs fabricated from a new material show enhanced efficiency at longer wavelengths. Different read out schemes can scale a single pixel to an array of detectors. We have proven by implementing the SSPDs in a Hanbury-Brown Twiss setup that nanowire quantum dots emit single photons. We also have demonstrated that SSPDs are sensitive to single surface plasmon polaritons and single electrons.Applied PhysicsApplied Science

Read-out of superconducting single photon detectors

Detection arrangement having an array of at least one superconducting single photon detector (SSPD). The detection arrangement further has a cryogenic part (9) with the array of at least one SSPD (1), the cryogenic part (9) being at a superconducting temperature in operation. Also, a separate charge storage element (5) in the form of an electronic component, is provided which is connected to an output terminal (3) of each of the at least one SSPD (1). The separate charge storage elements (5) are positioned on the cryogenic part (9).QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Capacitive readout and gating of superconducting single photon detectors

We propose and develop a readout scheme for superconducting single-photon detectors based on an integrated circuit, relaxing the need for large bandwidth amplification and resulting in voltage steps proportional to the number of detected photons. We also demonstrate time gating, to filter scattered light in time and reduce dark counts. This could lead to a higher signal-to-noise ratio. The gate pulse is generated on the detection of a photon created by a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source, heralding the presence of a second photon. These two schemes could find applications within advanced multi-array imaging detection systems.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Efficient single particle detection with a superconducting nanowire

Detection of ?- and ?-particles is of paramount importance in a wide range of applications. Current particle detectors are all macroscopic and have limited time resolution. We demonstrate a nanoscale particle detector with a small detection volume, high detection efficiency, short dead times and low dark count levels. We measure ?- and ?-particle detection efficiencies close to unity using different sources and also demonstrate blindness towards ?-rays. Our nanoscale detector offers particle detection measurements with unprecendented spatial resolution.Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Quantum detector tomography of a time-multiplexed superconducting nanowire single-photon detector at telecom wavelengths

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are widely used in telecom wavelength optical quantum information science applications. Quantum detector tomography allows the positive-operator-valued measure (POVM) of a single-photon detector to be determined. We use an all-fiber telecom wavelength detector tomography test bed to measure detector characteristics with respect to photon flux and polarization, and hence determine the POVM. We study the SNSPD both as a binary detector and in an 8-bin, fiber based, Time-Multiplexed (TM) configuration at repetition rates up to 4 MHz. The corresponding POVMs provide an accurate picture of the photon number resolving capability of the TM-SNSPD.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Doping efficiency of Sb in ZnSe grown by MOVPE

This paper highlights a significant advance in time-of-flight depth imaging: by using a scanning transceiver which incorporated a free-running, low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, we were able to obtain centimeter resolution depth images of low-signature objects in daylight at stand-off distances of the order of one kilometer at the relatively eye-safe wavelength of 1560 nm. The detector used had an efficiency of 18% at 1 kHz dark count rate, and the overall system jitter was ~100 ps. The depth images were acquired by illuminating the scene with an optical output power level of less than 250 µW average, and using per-pixel dwell times in the millisecond regime.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Proceedings of SPIE: Wavelength-resolved Purcell enhancement of PbS/CdS quantum dots measured on a chip-based platform

Future quantum optical networks will require an integrated solution to multiplex suitable sources and detectors on a low-loss platform. Here we combined superconducting single-photon detectors with colloidal PbS/CdS quantum dots (QDs) and low-loss silicon nitride passive photonic components to show their combined operation at cryogenic temperatures. Using a planar concave grating spectrometer, we performed wavelength-resolved measurements of the photoluminescence decay of QDs, which were deterministically placed in the gap of plasmonic antennas, in order to improve their emission rate. We observed a Purcell enhancement matching the antenna simulations, with a concurrent increase of the count rate on the superconducting detectors.ImPhys/Optic

Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors operating at temperature from 4 to 7 K

We experimentally investigate the performance of NbTiN superconducting nanowire single photon detectors above the base temperature of a conventional Gifford-McMahon cryocooler (2.5 K). By tailoring design and thickness (8 - 13 nm) of the detectors, high performance, high operating temperature, single-photon detection from the visible to telecom wavelengths are demonstrated. At 4.3 K, a detection efficiency of 82 % at 785 nm wavelength and a timing jitter of 30 ± 0.3 ps are achieved. In addition, for 1550 nm and similar operating temperature we measured a detection efficiency as high as 64 %. Finally, we show that at temperatures up to 7 K, unity internal efficiency is maintained for the visible spectrum. Our work is particularly important to allow for the large scale implementation of superconducting single photon detectors in combination with heat sources such as free-space optical windows, cryogenic electronics, microwave sources and active optical components for complex quantum optical experiments and bio-imaging.ImPhys/Optic

Singlet oxygen luminescence detection with a fiber-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detector

Direct monitoring of singlet oxygen (1O2) luminescence is a particularly challenging infrared photodetection problem. 1O2, an excited state of the oxygen molecule, is a crucial intermediate in many biological processes. We employ a low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detector to record 1O2 luminescence at 1270 nm wavelength from a model photosensitizer (Rose Bengal) in solution. Narrow band spectral filtering and chemical quenching is used to verify the 1O2 signal, and lifetime evolution with the addition of protein is studied. Furthermore, we demonstrate the detection of 1O2 luminescence through a single optical fiber, a marked advance for dose monitoring in clinical treatments such as photodynamic therapy.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

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

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 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.QN/Groeblacher LabImPhys/Optic