We present a single-flux-quantum (SFQ) based digital correlator to trace independent signals from two superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) triggering its inputs. In our design two SSPDs are magnetically coupled to inputs of a readout system where direct current (DC)-to-SFQ converters are used to convert transient SSPD output pulses, triggered by detection of single-photon events, to SFQ pulses. The coincidence verification of SFQ pulses, generated by the two DC-to-SFQ converters, is performed with a modified SFQ coincidence buffer. The coincidence buffer is designed to generate an SFQ output pulse only when its both inputs are triggered simultaneously, or within a preset margin time. The output of the coincidence buffer is connected via, this time, an SFQ-to-DC converter, to a pulse counter operated at room temperature. We performed extensive simulations of both the SSPD equivalent circuit and correlator redout elements for the proposed coincidence scheme, using a WRSpice and PSCAN2 simulation platforms that are specifically designated to model Josephson junctions and widely used to simulate operation of the SFQ circuitry. In particular, we investigated our coincidence correlator scheme for measurements of the second-order correlation function, used to demonstrate the antibunching effect in the single-photon detection of non-classical light.

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Ivan Komissarov, Amir J. Salim, Oleg A. Mukhanov, Tim Rambo, Aaron Miller, and Roman Sobolewski, "Design of integrated SSPD-SFQ two-photon coincidence correlator," Proc. SPIE 12570, Quantum Optics and Photon Counting 2023, 125700B (Presented at SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics: April 27, 2023; Published: 6 June 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2670241.