Physics and application of photon number resolving detectors based on superconducting parallel nanowires
Physics and application of photon number resolving detectors based on superconducting parallel nanowires
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DOI：
10.1088/1367-2630/11/4/045022
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发表时间：
2009-04-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Fiore, A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Marsili, F.;Bitauld, D.;Fiore, A.
平行纳米线探测器(PND)是一种光子数分辨(PNR)探测器，它使用亚波长尺度上的空间多路复用来提供与光子数成正比的单一电输出。PND的基本结构是由几根NbN超导纳米线(宽约100 nm，厚几nm)平行连接，以弯曲的图案折叠。在Ar/N-2混合气体中，用反应磁控溅射法在氧化镁(T-S=400℃)衬底上生长了3~4 nm厚的NbN薄膜。该装置的性能从速度和灵敏度两个方面进行了表征。PND的计数速率为80 MHz，脉冲宽度低至660ps半高全宽(FWHM)。构建光响应峰值的直方图，没有观察到乘法噪声积聚。为了研究其工作原理，定义设计指南，并开发一种算法来估计未知光的光子数统计，建立了该器件的电学和光学等效模型。特别是，该模型提供了对这些探测器的探测效率和重置时间的物理限制的新见解。在简单性、灵敏度、速度和乘法噪声方面，PND明显优于现有的PNR检测器。
The parallel nanowire detector (PND) is a photon number resolving (PNR) detector that uses spatial multiplexing on a subwavelength scale to provide a single electrical output proportional to the photon number. The basic structure of the PND is the parallel connection of several NbN superconducting nanowires (approximate to 100 nm wide, a few nm thick), folded in a meander pattern. PNDs were fabricated on 3-4 nm thick NbN films grown on MgO(T-S = 400 degrees C) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering in an Ar/N-2 gas mixture. The device performance was characterized in terms of speed and sensitivity. PNDs showed a counting rate of 80 MHz and a pulse duration as low as 660 ps full-width at half-maximum (FWHM). Building the histograms of the photoresponse peak, no multiplication noise buildup is observable. Electrical and optical equivalent models of the device were developed in order to study its working principle, define design guidelines and develop an algorithm to estimate the photon number statistics of an unknown light. In particular, the modeling provides novel insight into the physical limit to the detection efficiency and to the reset time of these detectors. The PND significantly outperforms existing PNR detectors in terms of simplicity, sensitivity, speed and multiplication noise.