Superconducting nanowires enable the operation of outstanding single-photon detectors,which are required particularly for quantum information and weak-light measurement applications.However,the trade-off between detec...Superconducting nanowires enable the operation of outstanding single-photon detectors,which are required particularly for quantum information and weak-light measurement applications.However,the trade-off between detection speed and efficiency,which is related to the filling factors of superconducting nanowires,is still a challenge.Here,we propose a fast,efficient single-photon detector fabricated by integrating ultralow-filling-factor meandered superconducting nanowires atop a photonic crystal(PhC)resonator.This unique structure enables a fast photon response due to the low kinetic inductance of the short nanowires and ensures efficient photon absorption due to the resonant effect of the PhC structure.The proposed detector has a filling factor of only~12% while maintaining a high maximum absorption in our simulation of 90%.The fabricated device exhibits a maximum system detection efficiency of 60%,a maximum count rate of~80 MHz,and a recovery time of only~12 ns,which is three times faster than that of the conventional meandered structure at the same sensing diameter(18μm).This work helps advance the movement toward high-efficiency,high-speed single-photon detectors and promotes their future application in quantum communication and imaging.展开更多
基金Shanghai Sailing Program(21YF1455700)Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(2020241)National Natural Science Foundation of China(12033007,61827823,61971408)。
文摘Superconducting nanowires enable the operation of outstanding single-photon detectors,which are required particularly for quantum information and weak-light measurement applications.However,the trade-off between detection speed and efficiency,which is related to the filling factors of superconducting nanowires,is still a challenge.Here,we propose a fast,efficient single-photon detector fabricated by integrating ultralow-filling-factor meandered superconducting nanowires atop a photonic crystal(PhC)resonator.This unique structure enables a fast photon response due to the low kinetic inductance of the short nanowires and ensures efficient photon absorption due to the resonant effect of the PhC structure.The proposed detector has a filling factor of only~12% while maintaining a high maximum absorption in our simulation of 90%.The fabricated device exhibits a maximum system detection efficiency of 60%,a maximum count rate of~80 MHz,and a recovery time of only~12 ns,which is three times faster than that of the conventional meandered structure at the same sensing diameter(18μm).This work helps advance the movement toward high-efficiency,high-speed single-photon detectors and promotes their future application in quantum communication and imaging.
