Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs) are typical switching devices capable of detecting single photons with almost 100% detection efficiency. However, they cannot determine the exact number of inci...Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs) are typical switching devices capable of detecting single photons with almost 100% detection efficiency. However, they cannot determine the exact number of incident photons during a detection event. Multi-pixel SNSPDs employing multiple read-out channels can provide photon number resolvability(PNR), but they require increased cooling power and costly multi-channel electronic systems. In this work, a single-flux quantum(SFQ) circuit is employed, and PNR based on multi-pixel SNSPDs is successfully demonstrated. A multi-input magnetically coupled DC/SFQ converter(MMD2 Q) circuit with a mutual inductance M is used to combine and record signals from a multi-pixel SNSPD device. The designed circuit is capable of discriminating the amplitude of the combined signals in accuracy of Φ_(0)/M with Φ_(0) being a single magnetic flux quantum. By employing the MMD2 Q circuit,the discrimination of up to 40 photons can be simulated. A 4-parallel-input MMD2 Q circuit is fabricated, and a PNR of3 is successfully demonstrated for an SNSPD array with one channel reserved for the functional verification. The results confirm that an MMD2 Q circuit is an effective tool for implementing PNR with multi-pixel SNSPDs.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0304000)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA18000000)the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, China (Grant No. 18511110200)。
文摘Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs) are typical switching devices capable of detecting single photons with almost 100% detection efficiency. However, they cannot determine the exact number of incident photons during a detection event. Multi-pixel SNSPDs employing multiple read-out channels can provide photon number resolvability(PNR), but they require increased cooling power and costly multi-channel electronic systems. In this work, a single-flux quantum(SFQ) circuit is employed, and PNR based on multi-pixel SNSPDs is successfully demonstrated. A multi-input magnetically coupled DC/SFQ converter(MMD2 Q) circuit with a mutual inductance M is used to combine and record signals from a multi-pixel SNSPD device. The designed circuit is capable of discriminating the amplitude of the combined signals in accuracy of Φ_(0)/M with Φ_(0) being a single magnetic flux quantum. By employing the MMD2 Q circuit,the discrimination of up to 40 photons can be simulated. A 4-parallel-input MMD2 Q circuit is fabricated, and a PNR of3 is successfully demonstrated for an SNSPD array with one channel reserved for the functional verification. The results confirm that an MMD2 Q circuit is an effective tool for implementing PNR with multi-pixel SNSPDs.
