Efficient polarization independent single photon detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240539-B2
Application number	US-201313869802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2013
Priority date	Apr 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SN-SPD) microelectronic circuit is described which has higher quantum efficiency and signal-to-noise than any SN-SPD's known in the art. The material and configuration of the microelectronic circuit eliminates the polarization dependence and shows improved signal-to-noise over SN-SPD microelectronic circuits known in the art. The higher efficiency, polarization independence, and high signal-to-noise is achieved by vertically stacking two tungsten-silicide (TS) SN-SPDs and electrically connecting them in parallel. This structure forms a multilayer superconducting nanowire avalanche photo-detector (SNAP). A single photon detection device employing the multilayer (SNAP) microelectronic circuit demonstrates a peak system detection efficiency of 87.7% and a polarization dependence of less than 2%. This represents nearly an order of magnitude improvement in both system detection efficiency and reduction of polarization dependence compared to conventional SNSPDs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microcircuit apparatus for detecting single photons without regard to polarity comprised of:
a base layer;
a first superconducting layer having a first superconducting nanowire patterned to form a first continuous meander pattern;
wherein said first continuous meander pattern is comprised of parallel line segments joined by curved segments;
a dielectric layer comprised of material wherein said dialectic layer is substantially transparent to a predetermined photon wavelength; and
a second superconducting layer having a second superconducting nanowire patterned to form a second continuous meander pattern wherein said second continuous meander pattern is comprised of parallel line segments joined by curved segments.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein substantially all of said parallel line segments of said first continuous meander pattern are orthogonally oriented to said parallel line segments of said second continuous meander pattern.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first superconducting nanowire and said second superconducting nanowire are comprised of an amorphous metal-metalloid alloy.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said amorphous metal-metalloid alloy is comprised of an alloy of tungsten and silicon.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said alloy of tungsten and silicon is comprised of 20 mole percent to 30 mole percent silicon.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dielectric layer is comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of an oxide of silicon and a nitride of silicon.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dielectric layer is comprised of a transparent material selected from a group consisting of an oxide, a nitride and a fluoride.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dielectric layer is comprised of a semiconductor selected from a group consisting of silicon or germanium.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said predetermined photon wavelength is approximately 300 nanometers to 3,000 nanometers.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said predetermined photon wavelength is approximately between 800 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said predetermined photon wavelength is approximately 1050 nanometers and 1600 nanometers.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said predetermined photon wavelength is approximately 1800 nanometers and 2400 nanometers.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said predetermined photon wavelength is approximately between 2000 nanometers and 8000 nanometers.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first superconducting nanowire layer and said second superconducting nanowire layer are connected in series to electrical inductor components having an inductance greater than the inductance of said first superconducting nanowire layer and said second superconducting nanowire layer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said inductance of said inductor component is at least 8 times the inductance of said first superconducting nanowire layer and said second superconducting nanowire layer.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes one or more dielectric layers on said second superconducting nanowire layer.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said base layer is deposited on one or more alternating layers of silicon oxide, and silicon nitride.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which said one or more alternating layers of silicon oxide, and silicon nitride are deposited on a mirror layer consisting of a metal.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the width and pitch of said continuous meander pattern of said first superconducting nanowire layer are substantially equivalent to the width and pitch of said continuous meander pattern of said second superconducting nanowire.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the width and pitch of said continuous nanowire meander pattern of said first superconducting nanowire layer are not equivalent to the width and pitch of said continuous meander pattern of said second superconducting nanowire.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the width of said first superconducting nanowire and said second superconducting nanowires is between 3 nanometers and 3000 nanometers.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said dielectric layer is between 3 nanometers and 3000 nanometers.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a detection area produced by said first and said second continuous meander pattern is at least 125 square micrometers.

24. A method of making a microcircuit apparatus for detecting single photons without regard to polarity comprised of:
forming a base layer;
forming first superconducting layer on said base layer;
patterning said first superconducting layer to form a first continuous meander pattern on said base layer wherein said continuous meander pattern is comprised of a series of substantially parallel line segments joined by curved segments to form said continuous meander pattern;
selecting a dielectric material to correspond to a predetermined photon wavelength;
forming a dielectric layer comprised of said dielectric material wherein said dialectic layer is substantially transparent to a predetermined photon wavelength; and
maintaining said microcircuit apparatus in a chamber that has a temperature of below 5 Kelvin.

25. The method of claim 24 which further includes the step of forming a second superconducting layer on said dielectric layer.

26. The method of claim of 24 which further includes the step of patterning said second superconducting layer with a continuous meander pattern orthogonally oriented to said first continuous meander pattern.

Assignees

• Nam Sae Woo
• Baek Burm
• Marsilli Francesco
• Verma Varun
• Nat Inst Of Standards & Tech

Inventors

• Nam Sae Woo
• Baek Burm
• Marsilli Francesco
• Verma Varun

Classifications

• H01L39/24

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L39/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01J1/42

  using electric radiation detectors (optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10) · CPC title

• H01L39/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L39/10

  Electricity · mapped topic