Large Area Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector Arrays

Casaburi, A. , Pizzone, A. and Hadfield, R. H. (2014) Large Area Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector Arrays. In: Fotonica AEIT Italian Conference on Photonics Technologies, Naples, Italy, 12-14 May 2014, pp. 1-4. ISBN 9788887237184 (doi: 10.1109/Fotonica.2014.6843851)

Abstract

Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are a promising emerging technology for high efficiency single infrared photon detection. Excellent signal-to-noise ratio, high efficiency and good timing resolution can currently be achieved in small single pixel SNSPDs (area smaller than 14×14 μm2). This small area is a severe practical limitation for emerging infrared photon counting applications requiring multimode fibre or free space optical coupling. In this paper we demonstrate fabrication and full optical testing of an array of 2×2 SNSPDs, using nanowires in parallel configuration, covering an active area of 30 × 30 μm2. We report a system detection efficiency (~ 2.6 % @ λ=1550 nm) and low timing jitter (FWHM ~ 70 ps). Moreover, advanced nano-optical characterization, using an innovative cryogenic miniature confocal microscope, enabled us to confirm the high uniformity of patterned nanowires across the entire sensitive area of the SNSPD array.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pizzone, Andrea and Hadfield, Professor Robert and Casaburi, Dr Alessandro
• Authors: Casaburi, A., Pizzone, A., and Hadfield, R. H.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• ISBN: 9788887237184

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