Intrinsic timing jitter of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Zhao, Qingyuan; Zhang, L.; Jia, Tao; Kang, Lin; Xu, Wei; Chen, J.; Wu, Peiheng

doi:10.1007/s00340-011-4574-4

Cited by 38 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The electronic noise or signal‐to‐noise ratio also contribute to the uncertainty in the timing of the signal ( τ e ). Finally, another contribution to the jitter of the system, but which is not an inherent part of the SNSPD is the uncertainty in timing of the single‐photon source ( τ s ) . Experimentally, τ is measured from the full‐width‐half‐maximum (FWHM) of the histogram of counts as a function of time arrival of a large number of single‐photon detection events (i.e., the instrument response function, IRF) .…”

Section: Intrinsic Properties and Functionalitymentioning

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: Intrinsic Properties and Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2019

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“…It is now understood that the principal contributions to the timing jitter come from electrical and amplifier noise [17,18], longitudinal geometric jitter due to the finite * jallmara@caltech.edu; Also Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology propagation speed of microwave signals along the length of the nanowire [19,20], timing jitter induced by local inhomogeneities in the nanowire [21,22], and intrinsic timing jitter originating from the microscopic physics of the detection process itself. In a theoretical study, the transverse geometric jitter was investigated by considering the variation in detection latency as a function of the transverse location of photon absorption across the nanowire [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intrinsic Timing Jitter and Latency in Superconducting Nanowire Single-photon Detectors

et al. 2019

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We analyze the origin of the intrinsic timing jitter in superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) in terms of fluctuations in the latency of the detector response, which is determined by the microscopic physics of the photon detection process. We demonstrate that fluctuations in the physical parameters which determine the latency give rise to the intrinsic timing jitter. We develop a general description of latency by introducing the explicit time dependence of the internal detection efficiency. By considering the dynamic Fano fluctuations together with static spatial inhomogeneities, we study the details of the connection between latency and timing jitter. We develop both a simple phenomenological model and a more general microscopic model of detector latency and timing jitter based on the solution of the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for the 1D hotbelt geometry. While the analytical model is sufficient for qualitative interpretation of recent data, the general approach establishes the framework for a quantitative analysis of detector latency and the fundamental limits of intrinsic timing jitter. These theoretical advances can be used to interpret the results of recent experiments measuring the dependence of detection latency and timing jitter on photon energy to the few-picosecond level.

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“…Subtracting the noise contribution one obtains jitter inherent to the detector itself which is called intrinsic jitter. It was found that the intrinsic jitter increases in nanowires with smaller thickness and larger kinetic inductance per unit length [3]. Furthermore, the jitter increases with the size of the detector [4,5] and is less for the central part of the detector area as compared to peripherals [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical mechanisms of timing jitter in photon detection by current-carrying superconducting nanowires

Sidorova¹,

Semenov²,

Hübers³

et al. 2017

Phys. Rev. B

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We studied timing jitter in the appearance of photon counts in meandering nanowires with different fractional amount of bends. Timing jitter, which is the probability density of the random time delay between photon absorption in current-carrying superconducting nanowire and appearance of the normal domain, reveals two different underlying physical scenarios. In the deterministic regime, which is realized at large currents and photon energies, jitter is controlled by position dependent detection threshold in straight parts of meanders and decreases with the current. At small photon energies, jitter increases and its current dependence disappears. In this probabilistic regime jitter is controlled by Poisson process in that magnetic vortices jump randomly across the wire in areas adjacent to the bends.

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Intrinsic timing jitter of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Cited by 38 publications

References 21 publications

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

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

Intrinsic Timing Jitter and Latency in Superconducting Nanowire Single-photon Detectors

Physical mechanisms of timing jitter in photon detection by current-carrying superconducting nanowires

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