Superconducting single-photon detectors designed for operation at 1.55-μm telecommunication wavelength

We report on our progress in development of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs), specifically designed for secure high-speed quantum communications. The SSPDs consist of NbN-based meander nanostructures and operate at liquid helium temperatures. In general, our devices are capable of GHz-rate photon counting in a spectral range from visible light to mid-infrared. The device jitter is 18 ps and dark counts can reach negligibly small levels. The quantum efficiency (QE) of our best SSPDs for visible-light photons approaches a saturation level of similar to 30-40%, which is limited by the NbN film absorption. For the infrared range (1.55 mu m), QE is similar to 6% at 4.2 K, but it can be significantly improved by reduction of the operation temperature to the 2-K level, when QE reaches similar to 20% for 1.55-mu m photons. In order to further enhance the SSPD efficiency at the wavelength of 1.55 mu m, we have integrated our detectors with optical cavities, aiming to increase the effective interaction of the photon with the superconducting meander and, therefore, increase the QE. A successful effort was made to fabricate an advanced SSPD structure with an optical microcavity optimized for absorption of 1.55 mu m photons. The design consisted of a quarterwave dielectric layer, combined with a metallic mirror. Early tests performed on relatively lowQE devices integrated with microcavities, showed that the QE value at the resonator maximum (1.55-mu m wavelength) was of the factor 3- to-4 higher than that for a nonresonant SSPD. Independently, we have successfully coupled our SSPDs to single-mode optical fibers. The completed receivers, inserted into a liquid-helium transport dewar, reached similar to 1% system QE for 1.55 mu m photons. The SSPD receivers that are fiber-coupled and, simultaneously, integrated with resonators are expected to be the ultimate photon counters for optical quantum communications.