Intrinsic detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with different thicknesses

Hofherr, Mattias; Rall, D.; Ilin, K.; Siegel, M.; Semenov, A.; Hübers, Heinz‐Wilhelm; Gippius, N. A.

doi:10.1063/1.3437043

Cited by 85 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Later in 2010, single-vortex hopping was proposed as the detection mechanism beyond the threshold [23], and in 2011, it was suggested that vortices are responsible for all detection events, including those at high currents in the plateau of the detection efficiency [63]. In this model, the arrival of the photon decreases the entry barrier for vortices as discussed in section 3, which enables a vortex crossing or makes it at least more likely.…”

Section: Photon-triggered Vortex-entry Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A higher bias current corresponds to a larger cut-off wavelength or a lower minimum photon energy E min [23] and also a smaller jitter [24]. The limit for I b is an experimentally measured I c which in turn cannot exceed the depairing critical current I c,dep .…”

Section: Stationary State Of Snspdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…E min and I th are expected to increase with an increase in width or thickness of the superconducting meander [23,[77][78][79][80], based on the fact that the volume that is needed to switch into the normal-conducting state for triggering a detection event increases with increasing crosssection. For simplicity, we will call a change of the threshold to higher E min or higher I th /I c,dep an up-shift of the threshold and correspondingly a change in the opposite direction a down-shift.…”

Section: Detection Threshold In Snspdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection mechanism of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Engel¹,

Renema²,

Ilin³

et al. 2015

Supercond. Sci. Technol.

143

111

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Abstract. In this paper we intend to give a comprehensive description of the current understanding of the detection mechanism in superconducting nanowire singlephoton detectors. We will review key experimental results related to the detection mechanism, e.g. the variations of the detection probability as a function of bias current, temperature or magnetic field. Commonly used detection models will be introduced and we will analyze their predictions in view of the experimental observations. Although none of the proposed detection models is able to describe all experimental data, it is becoming increasingly clear that vortices are essential for the formation of the initial normal-conducting domain that triggers a detection event.

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Section: Photon-triggered Vortex-entry Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stationary State Of Snspdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Detection Threshold In Snspdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Detection mechanism of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Engel¹,

Renema²,

Ilin³

et al. 2015

Supercond. Sci. Technol.

143

111

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“…In this "plateau region," nearly every absorbed photon triggers the formation of a normal conducting domain 15 leading to an intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) approaching 100%. 16,17 The device detection efficiency (DDE) is the product of photon absorptance (ABS) of the meander and IDE: DDE ¼ ABS Â IDE. ABS itself depends on the absorptance of the thin superconducting film and geometric effects, such as the meander filling factor or a polarization dependent absorptance 18 and is limited to Շ20% for a bare meander.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical analysis of detection-mechanism models of superconducting nanowire single-photon detector

Engel

Schilling

2013

Journal of Applied Physics

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The microscopic mechanism of photon detection in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors is still under debate. We present a simple but powerful theoretical model that allows us to identify essential differences between competing detection mechanisms. The model is based on quasi-particle multiplication and diffusion after the absorption of a photon. We then use the calculated spatial and temporal evolution of this quasi-particle cloud to determine detection criteria of three distinct detection mechanisms, based on the formation of a normal conducting spot, the reduction of the effective depairing critical current below the bias current, and a vortex-crossing scenario, respectively. All our calculations as well as a comparison to experimental data strongly support the vortex-crossing detection mechanism by which vortices and antivortices enter the superconducting strip from the edges and subsequently traverse it thereby triggering the detectable normal conducting domain. These results may therefore help to reveal the microscopic mechanism responsible for the detection of photons in superconducting nanowires. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

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“…Ref. [7] and references therein). Superconducting fluctuations, e.g., excitation of superconducting vortices [8][9][10][11][12], have been put forward as an explanation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatially dependent sensitivity of superconducting meanders as single-photon detectors

Berdiyorov

Miloševıć

Peeters

2012

Applied Physics Letters

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The photo-response of a thin current-carrying superconducting stripe with a 90-degree turn is studied within the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory. We show that the photon acting near the inner corner (where the current density is maximal due to the current crowding [J. R. Clem and K. K. Berggren, Phys. Rev. B 84, 174510 (2011)]) triggers the nucleation of superconducting vortices at currents much smaller than the expected critical one, but does not bring the system to a higher resistive state and thus remains undetected. The transition to the resistive state occurs only when the photon hits the stripe away from the corner due to there uniform current distribution across the sample, and dissipation is due to the nucleation of a kinematic vortex-antivortex pair near the photon incidence. We propose strategies to account for this problem in the measurements.PACS numbers: 74.78. Na, 74.25.Fy Superconducting current-carrying thin-film stripes have recently received a revival of interest due to their promising application for single-photon detection [1] with a high maximum count rate, broadband sensitivity, fast response time and low dark counts [2][3][4]. The singlephoton absorption event leads to the formation of a nonequilibrium "hotspot" with suppressed superconductivity, the area of which grows in time, forming a normal belt across the strip [5]. The latter leads to redistribution of the current between the now resistive superconductor and a parallel shunt resistor, where a voltage pulse is detected, before a hotspot region cools down (on a timescale of few hundred picoseconds [6]) and the system returns to its initial superconducting state. Although the hotspot mechanism nicely explains the photon detection in the visible and near UV range, the detection mechanism in the near-infrared range is still debated (see e.g. Ref. [7] and references therein). Superconducting fluctuations, e.g., excitation of superconducting vortices [8][9][10][11][12], have been put forward as an explanation. Dissipative crossing of such vortices, which hop over the edge barrier, or are created due to the unbinding of thermally activated vortex-antivortex pairs, provides a good description of the experiment [10]. This vortex-based mechanism was also shown to be the dominating origin for dark counts [11,12,14], which leads to decoherence in the photon detection process.To increase the efficiency of the photon counting, detectors are usually fabricated as a meandering superconducting wire [3]. However, these structures are vulnerable to edge imperfections [3], which significantly reduce the photon counting rate. Moreover, the critical current in these systems is mostly determined by sharp inner corners where the supercurrent density is maximal due to current crowding [15,16]. While the appearance of edge imperfections can be reduced by present day technology [3], the effect of current crowding in such meandering geometries still demands further investigations.In this work we therefore study the effect of the turns of a meandering s...

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Intrinsic detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with different thicknesses

Cited by 85 publications

References 40 publications

Detection mechanism of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Detection mechanism of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Numerical analysis of detection-mechanism models of superconducting nanowire single-photon detector

Spatially dependent sensitivity of superconducting meanders as single-photon detectors

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