Zhu Di, Zhao Qing-Yuan, Choi Hyeongrak, Lu Tsung-Ju, Dane Andrew E, Englund Dirk, Berggren Karl K
Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Research Institute of Superconductor Electronics, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Nat Nanotechnol. 2018 Jul;13(7):596-601. doi: 10.1038/s41565-018-0160-9. Epub 2018 Jun 4.
Coincidence detection of single photons is crucial in numerous quantum technologies and usually requires multiple time-resolved single-photon detectors. However, the electronic readout becomes a major challenge when the measurement basis scales to large numbers of spatial modes. Here, we address this problem by introducing a two-terminal coincidence detector that enables scalable readout of an array of detector segments based on superconducting nanowire microstrip transmission line. Exploiting timing logic, we demonstrate a sixteen-element detector that resolves all 136 possible single-photon and two-photon coincidence events. We further explore the pulse shapes of the detector output and resolve up to four-photon events in a four-element device, giving the detector photon-number-resolving capability. This new detector architecture and operating scheme will be particularly useful for multi-photon coincidence detection in large-scale photonic integrated circuits.
单光子的符合检测在众多量子技术中至关重要，通常需要多个时间分辨单光子探测器。然而，当测量基扩展到大量空间模式时，电子读出成为一项重大挑战。在此，我们通过引入一种双端符合探测器来解决这一问题，该探测器能够基于超导纳米线微带传输线对探测器段阵列进行可扩展读出。利用定时逻辑，我们展示了一个十六元探测器，它能够分辨所有136种可能的单光子和双光子符合事件。我们进一步探索了探测器输出的脉冲形状，并在一个四元器件中分辨出多达四光子事件，赋予了探测器光子数分辨能力。这种新的探测器架构和操作方案对于大规模光子集成电路中的多光子符合检测将特别有用。
