Photon detection device with superconducting nanowire array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10388696-B2
Application number	US-201916361044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Aug 8, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A multiple arrayed parallel nanowire device includes one or more arrays connected in series, wherein each array includes a plurality of narrow nanowires flanked by one or more wide nanowires, a top electrode, an applied current, a bottom ground electrode, and one or more lateral electrodes where one or more currents or one or more probing voltages can be applied to detect voltage changes in each array. The device detects single and multiple photons without destroying superconductivity in all the nanowires in the array and is thus capable of remaining sensitive to subsequent photon impacts. Moreover, the device can resolve the location of each photon impact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photon detection device having a superconducting nanowire array, comprising:
a substrate;
an array including a plurality of superconducting nanowires connected in parallel disposed on the substrate; and
a source electrode and a ground electrode connected to the array and configured to conduct a current from the source electrode through the array to the ground electrode, wherein
the array is configured to detect one or more photon impacts;
the array includes a first set of a plurality of superconducting nanowires disposed in an interior of the array and a second set of a plurality of superconducting nanowires disposed on a periphery of the array;
a width of the superconducting nanowires in the first set is narrower than a width of the superconducting nanowires in the second set; and
each of the plurality of superconducting nanowires of the first set is electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of superconducting nanowires of the second set,
wherein the current conducted from the source electrode through the array to the ground electrode at least partially conducts through at least one of the nanowires in the first set of the plurality of superconducting nanowires disposed in the interior of the array; and
in response to one of the superconducting nanowires in the first set of the plurality of superconducting nanowires disposed in the interior of the array losing superconductivity when impacted by the one or more photon impacts, the current is redirected at least partially into the second set of the plurality of superconducting nanowires disposed on the periphery of the array such that the one or more photon impacts is detected via a change in the current or probing voltage at each respective additional plurality of arrays.

2. The photon detection device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of the plurality of superconducting nanowires has a width of approximately 100 nanometers and a thickness of approximately 5 nanometers.

3. The photon detection device of claim 1 , wherein the second set of the plurality of superconducting nanowires has a width of approximately 1 micrometer and a thickness of approximately 5 nanometers.

4. The photon detection device of claim 1 , wherein a material of the plurality of superconducting nanowires includes at least one of niobium, niobium nitride, niobium titanium, niobium titanium nitride, and magnesium diboride.

5. The photon detection device of claim 1 , further comprising an additional plurality of arrays connected in series, wherein each one of the additional plurality of arrays is connected to one or more lateral electrodes that are configured to receive a current or probing voltage.

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Harrabi Khalil

Classifications

• G01J2001/442

  Single-photon detection or photon counting · CPC title

• H01L31/112

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L39/08

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/035227

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L39/228

  Electricity · mapped topic