Single-Photon Detection System for Quantum Optics Applications

TLDR

Compared to InGaAs avalanche photodiodes, the system’s attributes make it attractive for quantum‑optics experiments at telecom wavelengths. The study presents a fiber‑coupled double‑channel superconducting single‑photon detector and its use in quantum‑optics experiments on semiconductor nanostructures. The detector employs a fiber‑coupled double‑channel superconducting single‑photon detector, whose design and performance were characterized for quantum‑optics applications. At 2 K, the detector achieves 10 % quantum efficiency at 1.3 µm, <10 cps dark count, <100 ps timing, 40 MHz count rate, and continuous operation, and it was successfully used for time‑correlated fluorescence spectroscopy of quantum wells and photon‑correlation measurements of 1300‑nm quantum‑dot emission.

Abstract

We describe the design and characterization of a fiber-coupled double-channel single-photon detection system based on superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD), and its application for quantum optics experiments on semiconductor nanostructures. When operated at 2-K temperature, the system shows 10% quantum efficiency at 1.3-¿m wavelength with dark count rate below 10 counts per second and timing resolution <100 ps. The short recovery time and absence of afterpulsing leads to counting frequencies as high as 40 MHz. Moreover, the low dark count rate allows operation in continuous mode (without gating). These characteristics are very attractive-as compared to InGaAs avalanche photodiodes-for quantum optics experiments at telecommunication wavelengths. We demonstrate the use of the system in time-correlated fluorescence spectroscopy of quantum wells and in the measurement of the intensity correlation function of light emitted by semiconductor quantum dots at 1300 nm.