A high-T c van der Waals superconductor based photodetector with ultra-high responsivity and nanosecond relaxation time

Abstract

Photodetectors based on nano-structured superconducting thin films are currently some of the most sensitive quantum sensors and are key enabling technologies in such broad areas as quantum information, quantum computation and radio-astronomy. However, their broader use is held back by the low operation temperatures which require expensive cryostats. Here, we demonstrate a high-T c superconducting photodetector, which shows orders of magnitude improved performance characteristics of any superconducting detector operated above 77 K, with a responsivity of 9.61 × 104 V W−1, theoretically achievable noise equivalent power of 15.9 fW Hz1/2 and nanosecond relaxation times. At 15 K the detector reaches an ultra-high performance of 2.33 × 107 V W−1 and 55.2 aW Hz1/2. It is based on van der Waals heterostructures of the high temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ , which are shaped into nano-wires with ultra-small form factor using focused helium ion beam irradiation. To highlight the versatility of the detector we demonstrate its fabrication and operation on a telecom grade SiN waveguide chip. Our detector significantly relaxes the demands of practical applications of superconducting detectors and displays its possible potential for photonics based quantum applications.