Abstract
Superconducting nanowires have emerged as a powerful tool for detecting single photons in the visible and near-infrared range with excellent device performance metrics. We outline challenges and future directions related to the up-scaling of nanowire devices and detector systems toward widespread applications in demanding real-world settings. Progress on achieving superconducting single-photon detectors with a large active area and an increasing number of pixels is reviewed, comparing the recent literature in terms of the reported key detector parameters. Furthermore, we summarize currently available readout and multiplexing schemes for multi-pixel detector arrays and discuss implications of the recently discovered microwire-based detector geometries.
Highlights
In terms of detector performance, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs)[5] stand out due to close-to-unity detection efficiency,[6] picosecond time resolution,[7] short recovery times down to the sub-nanosecond regime,[8] and low noise with milli-hertz dark count rates.[9]
Superconducting nanowires have emerged as a powerful tool for detecting single photons in the visible and near-infrared range with excellent device performance metrics
We summarize currently available readout and multiplexing schemes for multi-pixel detector arrays and discuss implications of the recently discovered microwire-based detector geometries
Summary
In terms of detector performance, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs)[5] stand out due to close-to-unity detection efficiency,[6] picosecond time resolution,[7] short recovery times down to the sub-nanosecond regime,[8] and low noise with milli-hertz dark count rates.[9].
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