Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are fundamental in the research and development of new quantum technologies. Compared to other single-photon detectors, SNSPDs exhibit very high efficiency and low measurement inaccuracies. The performance of SNSPDs can be further enhanced by so-called gating, which means that the detection is actively switched on and off. By doing so, the dynamic range of the detector increases and thus the measurable photon count rate, meaning how many photons can be detected per second. In addition, new applications are opening up, for example the temporal filtering of optical pulses.
Thomas Hummel and co-authors demonstrate SNSPD gating in the nanosecond range for the first time
Together with international collaboration partners, PhoQS researchers have demonstrated gating of SNSPDs in the nanosecond range - compared to previous research, the gate, i.e. the time during which detection is active, is two orders of magnitude smaller. Through extensive characterization, the scientists demonstrate that the measurement quality of the detector is not compromised in gate operation compared to the conventional mode of use in continuous operation. Furthermore, they are able to demonstrate the previously mentioned advantages: The maximum detectable photon count rate exceeds the measurable rate in classical operation by more than ten times. In addition, a feasibility study shows that it is possible to filter out individual pulses even in the case of very fast successive signals.
About the publication
Nanosecond gating of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors using cryogenic bias circuitry
Thomas Hummel, Alex Widhalm, Jan Philipp Höpker, Klaus D. Jöns, Jin Chang, Andreas Fognini, Stephan Steinhauer, Val Zwiller, Artur Zrenner, and Tim J. Bartley.
Optics Express (2023), 31(1), 610
The paper was recently published in Optics Express and can be accessed here.
