Nanowire bolometer using a 2D high-temperature superconductor

Abstract

Superconducting nanowires are very important due to their applications ranging from quantum technology to astronomy. In this work, we implement a non-invasive process to fabricate nanowires of high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (BSCCO). We demonstrate that our nanowires can be used as bolometers in the visible range with very high responsivity of 9.7 × 103 V/W. Interestingly, in a long (30 μm) nanowire of 9 nm thickness and 700 nm width, we observe bias current dependent localized spots of maximum photovoltage. Moreover, the scalability of the bolometer responsivity with the normal state resistance of the nanowire could allow further performance improvement by increasing the nanowire length in a meander geometry. We observe phase slip events in nanowires with small cross-sections (12 nm thick, 300 nm wide, and 3μm long) at low temperatures. Our study presents a scalable method for realizing sensitive bolometers working near the liquid-nitrogen temperature.

Two-dimensional cuprate nanodetector with single telecom photon sensitivity at T = 20 K

“…We believe the observed timescale to be an extrinsic effect, as the hotspot dynamics in a BSCCO nanostructure are expected to be orders of magnitude faster. In previous work, we found the intrinsic thermal relaxation time of BSCCO bolometers to be in the order of nanoseconds [24]. These limitations likely stem from a non-optimized electrical circuit, which A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t does not include a Bias Tee to isolate the bias (DC) and readout (AC) paths.…”

“…Other avenues to enhance detector performance include the design of optical gratings and nanoantennas to boost the absorption in the material. The integration in planar photonic architectures, highly compatible with 2D materials, could also boost the device's efficiency [6,7,24]. Lastly, the material properties of BSCCO also show promise for detection of single-photons at shorter wavelengths, as well as its application for photodetectors resilient to high magnetic fields [43].…”

“…We explore an alternative approach based on exfoliated, 2D cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-δ (BSCCO). Novel fabrication methods allow us to harness the pristine superconducting properties of few-layer BSCCO [24][25][26]. We report multiple nanostructures with sharp, hysteretic I-V characteristics combined with high TC (70 -80 K).…”

“…and high-TC superconductors [9,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] have received interest as candidates for the development of next-generation SNSPD's with increased capabilities.…”

“…Expanding single-photon detection to higher operating temperatures, longer wavelengths and faster response motivates the search for new material platforms [9][10][11]. In particular, van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures of 2D materials [12][13][14][15] and high-T c superconductors [9,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] have received interest as candidates for the development of next-generation SNSPD's with increased capabilities.…”