Superconducting nanowire for single-photon detection: progress, challenges and opportunities

TL;DR

This review discusses the progress, challenges, and future opportunities of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), focusing on optimizing their performance characteristics for quantum communication applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms affecting SNSPD performance and offers guidelines for material and device optimization based on current research.

Findings

High detection efficiency achieved across UV to mid IR wavelengths

Trade-offs exist among efficiency, false signals, timing, and reset time

Future directions include material innovations and device design improvements

Abstract

Single-photon detectors and nanoscale superconducting devices are two major candidates for realizing quantum technologies. Superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) comprise these two solid-state and optic aspects enabling high-rate (1.3 GBit s-1) quantum key distribution over long distances (>400 km), long-range (>1200 km) quantum communication as well as space communication (239,000 miles). The attractiveness of SNSPDs stems from competitive performance in the four single-photon relevant characteristics at wavelengths ranges from UV to the mid IR: high detection efficiency, low false-signal rate, low uncertainty in photon time arrival and fast reset time. However, to-date, these characteristics cannot be optimized simultaneously. In this review, we present the mechanisms that govern these four characteristics and demonstrate how they are affected by material properties and device design as well as by the operating conditions, allowing aware optimization of SNSPDs. Based on the evolution in the existing literature and state-of-the-art, we propose how to choose or design the material and device for optimizing SNSPD performance, while we also highlight possible future opportunities in the SNSPD technology.