A miniaturized 4 K platform for superconducting infrared photon counting detectors

Gemmell, Nathan R.; Hills, Matthew H.; Bradshaw, T.; Rawlings, T.; Green, Ben; Heath, Robert M.; Tsimvrakidis, Konstantinos; Dobrovolskiy, S.; Zwiller, Val; Dorenbos, Sander N.; Crook, M.; Hadfield, Robert H.

doi:10.1088/1361-6668/aa8ac7

Cited by 36 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Such temperature are obtained by, for example, Gifford‐McMahon refrigerators (the current commercially available state‐of‐the‐art closed‐cycle cooler for SNSPDs) that have been adopted for SNSPDs by the NIST group, while pulse tube can obtain slightly higher temperatures around this range. The next big step is at the 4.2‐K temperature of liquid helium, which is typically too high for conventional SNSPDs, even for NbN‐based devices, while miniaturized 4‐K closed‐cycle coolers have been developed for space applications and demonstrated for SNSPDs by Gemmell et al . Examining NbN‐based SNSPDs, Yamashita et al .…”

Section: Extrinsic/experimental Parameters Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

Superconducting Nanowires for Single‐Photon Detection: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

2019

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Single-photon detectors and nanoscale superconducting devices are two major candidates for realizing quantum technologies. Superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) comprise these two solid-state and optic aspects enabling high-rate (1.3 Gb s −1 ) quantum key distribution over long distances (>400 km), long-range quantum communication (>1200 km), as well as space communication (239 000 miles). The attractiveness of SNSPDs stems from competitive performance in the four single-photon relevant characteristics at wavelengths ranges from UV to the mid-IR: high detection efficiency, low false-signal rate, low uncertainty in photon time arrival, and fast reset time. However, to date, these characteristics cannot be optimized simultaneously. In this review, the mechanisms that govern these four characteristics are presented, and it is demonstrated how they are affected by material properties and device design as well as by the operating conditions, allowing aware optimization of SNSPDs. Based on the evolution in the existing literature and state of the art, it is proposed how to choose or design the material and device for optimizing SNSPD performance, while possible future opportunities in the SNSPD technology are also highlighted.

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Section: Extrinsic/experimental Parameters Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

Superconducting Nanowires for Single‐Photon Detection: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

2019

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“…The SOLD system is completed by an SNSPD with improved system efficiency and reduced down to sub-Hz dark count rate. Further improvements in miniaturized cryogenics for SNSPDs have recently been reported by our group [27]. This improved SOLD system has been carefully benchmarked, offering an enhanced detection of the singlet oxygen luminescence signal at 1270 nm, using three photosensitizers, with different excitation peaks, in solution dissolved in distilled water and organic solvents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Optics for Time-Resolved Singlet Oxygen Luminescence Detection

Tsimvrakidis

Gemmell

Erotokritou

et al. 2019

IEEE J. Select. Topics Quantum Electron.

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Singlet oxygen luminescence dosimetry (SOLD) is a highly promising direct monitoring method for photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of cancer. Early SOLD systems have been hampered by inefficient excitation, poor optical collection and immature infrared single photon detection technology. We report carefully engineered improvements addressing all of these deficiencies. We use a supercontinuum source with a tunable filter to precisely target the peak absorption wavelength of the chosen photosensitizer; we have designed a compact and versatile optical package for precise alignment; we have successfully employed state-ofthe-art superconducting photon counting technologies. Through these improvements, we can achieve histogram acquisition from a photosensitizer in solution test sample. This setup opens the pathway to physiological SOLD studies for PDT dosimetry.

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“…Originally, their timing jitter was similar to PMTs, ∼ 0.15 ns (Gol'tsman et al 2001;Marsili et al 2013). Latest improvements reduce timing jitter to very low values (< 18 ps FWHM, Shcheslavskiy et al 2016), at low intrinsic dark count rate ( kHz, Gemmell et al 2017), and short recovery times (< 20 ns, Gemmell et al 2017). Quantum efficiency is near unity in the optical and IR for single photons (93 %, Marsili et al 2013).…”

Section: Detectormentioning

confidence: 96%

Interstellar communication: Short pulse duration limits of optical SETI

Hippke

2018

J Astrophys Astron

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Previous and ongoing searches for extraterrestrial optical and infrared nanosecond laser pulses and narrow line-width continuous emissions have so far returned null results. At the commonly used observation cadence of ∼ 10 −9 s, sky-integrated starlight is a relevant noise source for large field-of-view surveys. This can be reduced with narrow bandwidth filters, multipixel detectors, or a shorter observation cadence. We examine the limits of short pulses set by the uncertainty principle, interstellar scattering, atmospheric scintillation, refraction, dispersion and receiver technology. We find that optimal laser pulses are time-bandwidth limited Gaussians with a duration of ∆t ≈ 10 −12 s at a wavelength λ 0 ≈ 1 µm, and a spectral width of ∆λ ≈ 1.5 nm. Shorter pulses are too strongly affected through Earth's atmosphere. Given certain technological advances, survey speed can be increased by three orders of magnitude when moving from ns to ps pulses. Faster (and/or parallel) signal processing would allow for an all-sky-at-once survey of lasers targeted at Earth.

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A miniaturized 4 K platform for superconducting infrared photon counting detectors

Cited by 36 publications

References 22 publications

Superconducting Nanowires for Single‐Photon Detection: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Superconducting Nanowires for Single‐Photon Detection: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Enhanced Optics for Time-Resolved Singlet Oxygen Luminescence Detection

Interstellar communication: Short pulse duration limits of optical SETI

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