Travelling-wave single-photon detectors integrated with diamond photonic circuits - operation at visible and telecom wavelengths with a timing jitter down to 23 ps

TL;DR

This paper presents the development of travelling-wave superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors integrated with diamond photonic circuits, capable of operating at visible and telecom wavelengths with low timing jitter, high efficiency, and low noise.

Contribution

The work introduces integrated SNSPDs on diamond photonic circuits with optimized performance at both visible and near-infrared wavelengths, including record low timing jitter.

Findings

Detection efficiency up to 74% at 765 nm

Timing jitter as low as 23 ps

Noise-equivalent power down to 4.4×10^-19 W/Hz^1/2

Abstract

We report on the design, fabrication and measurement of travelling-wave superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) integrated with polycrystalline diamond photonic circuits. We analyze their performance both in the near-infrared wavelength regime around 1600 nm and at 765 nm. Near-IR detection is important for compatibility with the telecommunication infrastructure, while operation in the visible wavelength range is relevant for compatibility with the emission line of silicon vacancy centers in diamond which can be used as efficient single-photon sources. Our detectors feature high critical currents (up to 31 {\mu}A) and high performance in terms of efficiency (up to 74% at 765 nm), noise-equivalent power (down to 4.4*10^-19 W/(Hz^1/2) at 765 nm) and timing jitter (down to 23 ps).