Superconducting Single-Photon Detector for Lithium Niobate Integrated Quantum Photonic at Telecom Wavelengths

Abstract

The current challenge of quantum photonic is to realize integrated circuits that monolithically combines light sources, optical modulators, storage units, and light detectors. Lithium niobate (LN) waveguides has emerged as one of the key platforms of photonics quantum technologies [1]. Due to mature technology of waveguide fabrication, efficient properties for light control and compatibility with the existing telecommunication infrastructure, LN is at the heart of many quantum components (light sources, modulators, coherent wavelength converters and quantum memories). Superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) is relatively simple architecture for the realisation in a waveguide configuration and has been demonstrated on several technological platforms [2]. It is based on the principle of photoninduced hot-spot formation in ultranarrow superconducting NbN wires and can provide high sensitivity at telecommunication wavelengths near 1550 nm, high counting rates, broad spectral response, and high temporal resolution due to low jitter values. The LN SSPD has been also considered [3], however only theoretical estimations have been made for waveguide configuration.