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Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector in an optical stack for front-side illumination
Published
Author(s)
Burm Baek, Jeffrey A. Stern, Sae Woo Nam
Abstract
We have integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors SNSPDs with an optical cavity design for front-side illumination. Our optical cavity design increases the coupling efficiency of light to the nanowire detector and enables straightforward proximity fiber-coupling for a multichannel detector system. Using a confocal optical scanning technique, we measured a significantly enhanced optical absorptance of 73% in comparison with 20% in a typical bare nanowire device at 1550 nm and 3 K. Our method of fabrication of these devices on a silicon wafer and the local optical absorptance measurement are important steps toward developing next-generation SNSPD technology.
Baek, B.
, Stern, J.
and Nam, S.
(2009),
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector in an optical stack for front-side illumination, Applied Physics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=903071
(Accessed October 13, 2025)