Numerical method to optimize the Polar-Azimuthal Orientation of Infrared Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a finite-element numerical method for optimizing the orientation of infrared superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to maximize absorption efficiency based on illumination angles.

Contribution

It presents a novel finite-element approach for calculating and optimizing the optical response of nanostructures as a function of illumination orientation.

Findings

Numerical method accurately predicts angle-dependent absorption.

Optimization improves detector efficiency by adjusting illumination angles.

Comparison with transfer-matrix method validates the approach.

Abstract

A novel finite-element method for calculating the illumination-dependence of absorption in three-dimensional nanostructures is presented based on the RF module of the COMSOL software package. This method is capable of numerically determining the optical response and near-field distribution of sub-wavelength periodic structures as a function of illumination orientations specified by polar angle, fi, and azimuthal angle, gamma. The method was applied to determine the illumination-angle-dependent absorptance in cavity-based superconducting-nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) designs. Niobium-nitride stripes based on dimensions of conventional SNSPDs and integrated with ~ quarter-wavelength hydrogensilsesquioxane-filled nano-optical cavities and covered by a thin gold film acting as a reflector were illuminated from below by p-polarized light in this study. The numerical results were compared to results from complementary transfer-matrix-method calculations on composite layers made of analogous film-stacks. This comparison helped to uncover the optical phenomena contributing to the appearance of extrema in the optical response. This paper presents an approach to optimizing the absorptance of different sensing and detecting devices via simultaneous numerical optimization of the polar and azimuthal illumination angles.