Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
Sci Rep. 2013;3:1893. doi: 10.1038/srep01893.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are an ideal match for integrated quantum photonic circuits due to their high detection efficiency for telecom wavelength photons. Quantum optical technology also requires single-photon detection with low dark count rate and high timing accuracy. Here we present very low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors based on NbTiN thin films patterned directly on top of Si3N4 waveguides. We systematically investigate a large variety of detector designs and characterize their detection noise performance. Milli-Hz dark count rates are demonstrated over the entire operating range of the nanowire detectors which also feature low timing jitter. The ultra-low dark count rate, in combination with the high detection efficiency inherent to our travelling wave detector geometry, gives rise to a measured noise equivalent power at the 10(-20) W/Hz(1/2) level.
超导纳米线单光子探测器由于其对电信波长光子的高探测效率，非常适合集成量子光子电路。量子光学技术还需要具有低暗计数率和高定时精度的单光子探测。在这里，我们展示了基于直接在 Si3N4 波导顶部图案化的 NbTiN 薄膜的极低噪声超导纳米线单光子探测器。我们系统地研究了各种探测器设计，并对其探测噪声性能进行了表征。在纳米线探测器的整个工作范围内都实现了毫赫兹的暗计数率，同时还具有低定时抖动。超低暗计数率，结合我们行波探测器几何结构固有的高探测效率，使得噪声等效功率在 10(-20) W/Hz(1/2) 水平下得到了测量。
