Multiple space missions currently under study require high-performing detectors at mid-infrared wavelengths from 2 to 20 µm. However, the future availability of the IBC detectors used for JWST is in doubt, and HgCdTe detectors have difficulties at longer wavelengths. Superconducting detectors are therefore being considered as a solution to fill this technology gap. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are particularly advantageous, because they are true photon-counting detectors with digital-like output signals and low dark count rates. These features make them very stable for applications like exoplanet transit spectroscopy and able to operate in photon-starved environments for applications like nulling interferometry. We have recently demonstrated SNSPDs with high internal detection efficiency at wavelengths as long as 29 µm. This talk will provide an overview of the current state of mid-IR SNSPDs and lay out the future steps needed to adapt them for exoplanet science missions.
We demonstrate a 64-pixel single-photon imager based on superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) capable of counting single photons up to a wavelength of 10μm. This technology could be useful in future space telescopes in applications such as exoplanet transit spectroscopy.
State readout of trapped-ion qubits is usually achieved by observing qubit-state-dependent fluorescence from the ion while driving an optical cycling transition with laser light. The integration of photon detectors for fluorescence detection into the ion trap itself may benefit the development of many-qubit setups for applications like quantum computing. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are promising candidates for trap-integrated detectors for high-fidelity trapped-ion qubit state readout. However, the strong oscillating electromagnetic fields that are typically used to trap and manipulate ions can affect the function of the SNSPDs significantly. In this work, we demonstrate an improved design to integrate SNSPDs into linear rf ion traps that reduces the susceptibility of the SNSPDs to applied rf trapping potentials. Our measurement results represent an improvement in rf tolerance by an order of magnitude with an increase in operation temperature from 3.5K to 6K compared to previous work.
Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) have low dark counts, improved gain stability, and high resolution compared to traditional infrared detectors. Recent work at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has incorporated SNSPDs into arrays and extended the response into the mid-infrared to use for spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging. We are developing novel methods to spectrally calibrate and measure stability of these detectors in this challenging wavelength range from 3 μm to 25 μm. We present our design of a novel cryogenic apparatus uniquely focused on making quantitative efficiency measurements of these quantum detectors by directly comparing to a reference calibrated blocked-impurity-band (BIB) detector so they can be used by researchers from federal agencies, universities, and industry.
We will discuss recently-developed approaches to improve sensitivity of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors in the mid-infrared, showing saturated internal detection efficiency up to a wavelength of 10 microns. We will also show preliminary data from small 64-element SNSPD arrays with high internal detection efficiency in the midinfrared at 3.5 μm, and will discuss calibration techniques we are developing for measuring system detection efficiency in this region of the spectrum.
The Origins Space Telescope mission concept includes an exoplanet transit spectrometer that requires detector arrays with ultrahigh pixel-to-pixel stability. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, or SNSPDs, have the potential to meet these stringent stability requirements due to their digital-like output. Traditionally used for applications at near-IR telecom wavelengths, SNSPDs have demonstrated near-unity detection efficiencies, ultralow dark-count rates, and high dynamic ranges. Until recently, however, SNSPD operation at the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths of interest for Origins had not been demonstrated, and SNSPD formats were limited to small arrays and active areas. Recent advances in SNSPD fabrication techniques have pushed SNSPD sensitivity to wavelengths beyond 7 μm and have enabled millimeter-scale active areas and kilopixel arrays. We report here on this progress and the outlook toward developing arrays of ultrastable superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for mid-IR astronomy applications.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are excellent single-photon detectors from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared. System detection efficiencies of ~ 90% are typical, with jitters on the order of 100 ps and maximum count rates of a few MHz. Recently we have begun exploring the use of SNSPDs for the detection of single mid-infrared photons in the 2 - 11 μm wavelength range for applications in astronomy and chemical sensing. In particular, we are developing arrays of SNSPDs which could potentially be used for exoplanet spectroscopy in order to identify elements in the atmospheres of exoplanets outside our solar system. Improved sensitivity for these low-energy photons has been made possible by the recent development of amorphous WSi which is now used in the fabrication of superconducting nanowire detectors. I will discuss the optimization of these detectors to enhance their detection efficiency in the midinfrared, with the ultimate goal of building a single-photon focal plane array of SNSPDs in the 2 - 11 μm band.
Photonic integration is an enabling technology for photonic quantum science, offering greater
scalability, stability, and functionality than traditional bulk optics. Here, we describe a scalable,
heterogeneous III-V/silicon integration platform to produce Si3N4 photonic circuits incorporating
GaAs-based nanophotonic devices containing self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots. We
demonstrate pure single-photon emission from individual quantum dots in GaAs waveguides
and cavities - where strong control of spontaneous emission rate is observed - directly launched
into Si3N4 waveguides with > 90 % efficiency through evanescent coupling. To date, InAs/GaAs
quantum dots constitute the most promising solid state triggered single-photon sources, offering
bright, pure and indistinguishable emission that can be electrically and optically controlled.
Si3N4 waveguides offer low-loss propagation, tailorable dispersion and high Kerr nonlinearities,
desirable for linear and nonlinear optical signal processing down to the quantum level. We
combine these two in an integration platform that will enable a new class of scalable, efficient
and versatile integrated quantum photonic devices.
Superconducting detectors are now well-established tools for low-light optics, and in particular quantum optics, boasting high-eciency, fast response and low noise. Similarly, lithium niobate is an important platform for integrated optics given its high second-order nonlinearity, used for high-speed electro-optic modulation and polarization conversion, as well as frequency conversion and sources of quantum light. Combining these technologies addresses the requirements for a single platform capable of generating, manipulating and measuring quantum light in many degrees of freedom, in a compact and potentially scalable manner. We will report on progress integrating tungsten transition-edge sensors (TESs) and amorphous tungsten silicide superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) on titanium in-diused lithium niobate waveguides. e travelling-wave design couples the evanescent eld from the waveguides into the superconducting absorber. We will report on simulations and measurements of the absorption, which we can characterize at room temperature prior to cooling down the devices. Independently, we show how the detectors respond to ood illumination, normally incident on the devices, demonstrating their functionality.
We have developed an entangled photon pair source based on a domain-engineered, type-II periodically poled lithium niobate crystal that produces signal and idler photons at 1533 nm and 1567 nm. We characterized the spectral correlations of the generated entangled photons using fiber-assisted signal-photon spectroscopy. We observed interference between the two down-conversion paths after erasing polarization distinguishability of the down-converted photons. The observed interference signature is closely related to the spectral correlations between photons in a Hong- Ou-Mandel interferometer. These measurements suggest good indistinguishability between the two downconversion paths, which is required for high entanglement visibility.
High-dimensional (dimension d > 2) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols that encode information in the temporal degree of freedom promise to overcome some of the challenges of qubit-based (d = 2) QKD systems. In particular, the long recovery time of single-photon detectors and large channel noise at long distance both limit the rate at which a final secure key can be generated in a low-dimension QKD system. We propose and demonstrate a practical discrete-variable time-frequency protocol with d = 4 at a wavelength of 1550 nm, where the temporal states are secured by transmitting and detecting their dual states under Fourier transformation, known as the frequency-basis states, augmented by a decoy-state protocol. We show that the discrete temporal and frequency states can be generated and detected using commercially-available equipment with high timing and spectral efficiency. In our initial experiments, we only have access to detectors that have low efficiency (1%) at 1550 nm. Together with other component losses, our system is equivalent to a QKD system with ideal components and a 50-km-long optical-fiber quantum channel. We find that our system maintains a spectral visibility of over 99.0% with a quantum bit error rate of 2.3%, which is largely due to the finite extinction ratio of the intensity modulators used in the transmitter. The estimated secure key rate of this system is 7.7×104 KHz, which should improve drastically when we use detectors optimized for 1550 nm.
We demonstrate a 64-pixel free-space-coupled array of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors optimized for high detection efficiency in the near-infrared range. An integrated, readily scalable, multiplexed readout scheme is employed to reduce the number of readout lines to 16. The cryogenic, optical, and electronic packaging to read out the array, as well as characterization measurements are discussed.
We characterize spontaneous parametric downconversion in a domain-engineered, type-II periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal using seeded emission and single-photon techniques. Using continuous-wave (CW) pumping at 775 nm wavelength, the signal and idler are at 1532.5 nm and 1567.5 nm, respectively. The domain-engineered crystal simultaneously phasematches signal and idler pairs: [H(1532.5 nm), V(1567.5 nm)] and [V(1532.5 nm), H(1567.5 nm)]. We observe the tuning curves of these processes through difference-frequency generation and through CW fiberassisted, single-photon spectroscopy. These measurements indicate good matching in amplitude and bandwidth of the two processes and that the crystal can in principle be used effectively to generate polarization-entangled photon pairs.
We demonstrate a 64-pixel free-space-coupled array of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors optimized for high detection efficiency in the near-infrared range. An integrated, readily scalable, multiplexed readout scheme is employed to reduce the number of readout lines to 16. The cryogenic, optical, and electronic packaging to read out the array, as well as characterization measurements are discussed.
We describe a number of methods that have been pursued to develop superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) with attractive overall performance, including three systems that operate with >70% system detection efficiency and high maximum counting rates at wavelengths near 1550 nm. The advantages and tradeoffs of various approaches to efficient optical coupling, electrical readout, and SNSPD design are described and contrasted. Optical interfaces to the detectors have been based on fiber coupling, either directly to the detector or through the substrate, using both single-mode and multimode fibers with different approaches to alignment. Recent advances in electrical interfaces have focused on the challenges of scalability and ensuring stable detector operation at high count rates. Prospects for further advances in these and other methods are also described, which may enable larger arrays and higher-performance SNSPD systems in the future. Finally, the use of some of these techniques to develop fully packaged SNSPD systems will be described and the performance available from these recently developed systems will be reviewed.
Nanopores are a new class of low dimensional semiconductor nanostructures which have been recently proposed for use
in lasers and other photonic applications. This paper provides an overview of patterned nanopore lattices with an
emphasis on their electronic and optical properties. The ability to control nanopore properties by geometry and material
composition are demonstrated. Two methods for controlled nanopore fabrication are presented and compared. Spectral
characteristics of nanopore lasers are presented. Finite element numerical simulations are also performed to determine
the band structure and emission properties of nanopores.
We describe the hybrid integration of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with a network of microfluidic channels to
form a compact microfluidic microsystem. VCSEL dies, created by standard fabrication techniques, are integrated on a
silicon substrate which is merged with a micro-fluidic network of PDMS channels to form an opto-fluidic microsystem.
The fabrication and integration process of VCSEL dies, silicon host substrate, and microfluidic network are discussed.
Absorption measurements of the laser output power using IR absorbing dyes indicate a detection limit of 13 μM of dye
concentration. A future integration scheme using monolithically integrated VCSEL / PIN photodetector dies is
proposed.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.