Magnetic-Field Enhancement of Performance of Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detector

Abstract

We present SNSPDs from NbN nanowires shaped after square-spiral, that allows an increase not only in critical currents, but also an extension of spectral detection efficiencies by just applying an external magnetic field. Using negative electron-beam lithography with the positive resist for shaping nanowires made it possible to reduce the inner bend radius. Consequently, the effect of critical-current enhancement in the magnetic field becomes stronger than it was demonstrated earlier. Here we achieved a 13% increase of the critical current in the magnetic field. We measured the spectra of the single-photon detection efficiency in the wavelength ranging from 400 to 1100\xa0nm in the magnetic field. At zero field, the square-spiral has the spectrum similar to that of a meander. At the field providing the maximum of the critical current, the detection efficiency and the cutoff wavelength in the spectrum increase by 20% and by 54%, respectively. The magnetic-field dependence of the dark count rate is well described by the proposed analytical model.