Single-photon detection using large-scale high-temperature MgB2 sensors at 20 K

Ilya Charaev (), Emma K. Batson, Sergey Cherednichenko (), Kate Reidy, Vladimir Drakinskiy, Yang Yu, Samuel Lara-Avila, Joachim D. Thomsen, Marco Colangelo, Francesca Incalza, Konstantin Ilin, Andreas Schilling and Karl K. Berggren ()
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Ilya Charaev: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Emma K. Batson: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sergey Cherednichenko: Chalmers University of Technology
Kate Reidy: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Vladimir Drakinskiy: Chalmers University of Technology
Yang Yu: Raith America, Inc.
Samuel Lara-Avila: Chalmers University of Technology
Joachim D. Thomsen: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marco Colangelo: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Francesca Incalza: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Konstantin Ilin: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Andreas Schilling: University of Zurich
Karl K. Berggren: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Ultra-fast single-photon detectors with high current density and operating temperature can benefit space and ground applications, including quantum optical communication systems, lightweight cryogenics for space crafts, and medical use. Here we demonstrate magnesium diboride (MgB2) thin-film superconducting microwires capable of single-photon detection at 1.55 μm optical wavelength. We used helium ions to alter the properties of MgB2, resulting in microwire-based detectors exhibiting single-photon sensitivity across a broad temperature range of up to 20 K, and detection efficiency saturation for 1 μm wide microwires at 3.7 K. Linearity of detection rate vs incident power was preserved up to at least 100 Mcps. Despite the large active area of up to 400 × 400 μm2, the reset time was found to be as low as ~ 1 ns. Our research provides possibilities for breaking the operating temperature limit and maximum single-pixel count rate, expanding the detector area, and raises inquiries about the fundamental mechanisms of single-photon detection in high-critical-temperature superconductors.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47353-x

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