Polarization independent superconducting nanowire detector with high-detection efficiency

Abstract The superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) draws much attention because of its attractive performance at ultra violet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths, and it can be widespread in quantum information technologies. However, how to increase the absorption which can dramatically increase the quantum efficiency of the SNSPD is still a top research issue. In this study, the effect of incident medium and cavity material on the optical absorptance of cavity-integrated SNSPDs was systematically investigated using finite-element method. The simulation results demonstrate that for photons polarized parallel to nanowire orientation, even though the maximum absorptance of the nanowire is insensitive to cavity material, it does increase when the refractive index of incident medium decreases. For perpendicularly polarized photons, both incident medium and cavity material play significant roles, and the absorptance curves get closer to the parallel case as the refractive index of cavity material increases. Based on these results, two cavity-integrated SNSPDs with front-illumination structure which can enhance the absorptance for both parallel and perpendicular photons are proposed. Finally, a design to realize polarization-independent SNSPDs with high absorptance is presented.

[1]  E. Knill,et al.  A scheme for efficient quantum computation with linear optics , 2001, Nature.

[2]  Sae Woo Nam,et al.  Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector in an optical cavity for front-side illumination , 2009 .

[3]  陈凡,et al.  Institute of Microelectronics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China , 2013 .

[4]  Giuseppe Vallone,et al.  Proposed bell experiment with genuine energy-time entanglement. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[5]  Val Zwiller,et al.  Superconducting single photon detectors with minimized polarization dependence , 2008 .

[6]  Sae Woo Nam,et al.  Quantum key distribution over a 40-dB channel loss using superconducting single-photon detectors , 2007, 0706.0397.

[7]  F. Marsili,et al.  Detecting single infrared photons with 93% system efficiency , 2012, 1209.5774.

[8]  Kunhua Zhang,et al.  Experiment and finite element method analysis mass erosion and transfer of Ag/La2NiO4-based electrical contacts during operation , 2013, Rare Metals.

[9]  M. Siegel,et al.  Detection Efficiency of a Spiral-Nanowire Superconducting Single-Photon Detector , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[10]  Qingdong Zhang,et al.  Planar anisotropy of commercially pure titanium sheets , 2013, Rare Metals.

[11]  A. Zeilinger,et al.  Practical quantum key distribution with polarization entangled photons , 2005 .

[12]  Faraz Najafi,et al.  Numerical method to optimize the polar-azimuthal orientation of infrared superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors. , 2011, Applied optics.

[13]  Vikas Anant,et al.  Nanowire single-photon detector with an integrated optical cavity and anti-reflection coating. , 2006, Optics express.

[14]  Sae Woo Nam,et al.  Compact cryogenic self-aligning fiber-to-detector coupling with losses below one percent. , 2011, Optics express.

[15]  O. Okunev,et al.  Picosecond superconducting single-photon optical detector , 2001 .

[16]  V. B. Verma,et al.  A three-dimensional, polarization-insensitive superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetector , 2012, CLEO: 2013.

[17]  K. Smirnov,et al.  Gigahertz counting rates of NbN single-photon detectors for quantum communications , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[18]  A. Sergienko,et al.  High-speed and high-efficiency travelling wave single-photon detectors embedded in nanophotonic circuits , 2011, Nature communications.

[19]  Shigehito Miki,et al.  High performance fiber-coupled NbTiN superconducting nanowire single photon detectors with Gifford-McMahon cryocooler. , 2013, Optics express.

[20]  K. Berggren,et al.  Timing performance of 30-nm-wide superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors , 2012, 1203.1079.

[21]  F. Kaertner,et al.  Fabrication of highly reflecting epitaxy-ready Si-SiO/sub 2/ Bragg reflectors , 2005, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[22]  L. Zhijian,et al.  Decoherence of qubits: results beyond Markovian approximation , 2009 .

[23]  L. M. Landsberger,et al.  Refractive index, relaxation times and the viscoelastic model in dry‐grown SiO2 films on Si , 1987 .

[24]  L. You,et al.  Jitter analysis of a superconducting nanowire single photon detector , 2013, 1308.0763.

[25]  Michael G. Tanner,et al.  Enhanced telecom wavelength single-photon detection with NbTiN superconducting nanowires on oxidized silicon , 2010 .

[26]  Vikas Anant,et al.  Optical properties of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. , 2008, Optics express.

[27]  Zhen Wang,et al.  Characterization of Coupling Efficiency and Absorption Coefficient for Fiber-Coupled SNSPD With an Optical Cavity , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[28]  V. B. Verma,et al.  Superconducting single photon detectors , 2013, 2013 Conference on Lasers & Electro-Optics Europe & International Quantum Electronics Conference CLEO EUROPE/IQEC.

[29]  S. Dorenbos,et al.  Low noise superconducting single photon detectors on silicon , 2008 .