Single-photon and photon-number-resolving detectors

Published

April 20, 2012

Author(s)

Richard P. Mirin, Sae Woo Nam, Mark Itzler

Abstract

Several important advances were reported in single-photon detectors and photon-number-resolving detectors in 2011. New materials with smaller superconducting gaps were demonstrated for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) that led to improved signal-to-noise ratios and infrared performance. Faster superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) were demonstrated by using normal metal heat sinks. Both TESs and SNSPDs were evanescently coupled with waveguides as a step toward demonstrating quantum photonic integrated circuits. Photon-number resolution has been the goal in several demonstrations using semiconductor detectors, and recent results suggest a potential convergence of Geiger-mode and linear-mode avalanche diodes in exhibiting the high-gain, low-noise analog behavior necessary to reach this goal. There has also been progress focused on additional trends in single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) for high- rate counting and detector array scaling.

Citation

IEEE Photonics Journal

Volume

4

Issue

2

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2012.2190394

Keywords

single photon detectors, quantum optics

Citation

Mirin, R. , Nam, S. and Itzler, M. (2012), Single-photon and photon-number-resolving detectors, IEEE Photonics Journal, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2012.2190394 (Accessed October 13, 2025)