Nano-optical observation of cascade switching in a parallel superconducting nanowire single photon detector

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4865199
• Publication Date: 2014-02-11T01:43:05Z
• Authors: Robert M. Heath; Michael G. Tanner; Alessandro Casaburi; Mark G. Webster; Lara San Emeterio...; Weitao Jiang; Zoe H. Barber; Richard J. Warburton; Robert H. Hadfield
• Keywords: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con); 2. Zero hunger; Quantum Physics; Condensed Matter - Superconductivity; FOS: Physical sciences; 02 engineering and technology; Quantum Physics (quant-ph); 0210 nano-technology; Physics - Optics; Optics (physics.optics); 3. Good health

The device physics of parallel-wire superconducting nanowire single photon detectors is based on a cascade process. Using nano-optical techniques and parallel wire with spatially separate pixels, we explicitly demonstrate the single- multi-photon triggering regimes. We develop model for describing efficiency detector operating in arm-trigger regime. investigate timing response when illuminating pixel two pixels. see change active area between regimes find two-pixel trigger regime to have faster than one-pixel