J. P. Sprengers

Waveguide superconducting single-photon detectors for integrated quantum photonic circuits

The monolithic integration of single-photon sources, passive optical circuits, and single-photon detectors enables complex and scalable quantum photonic integrated circuits, for application in linear-optics quantum computing and quantum communications. Here, we demonstrate a key component of such a circuit, a waveguide single-photon detector. Our detectors, based on superconducting nanowires on GaAs ridge waveguides, provide high efficiency (∼20%) at telecom wavelengths, high timing accuracy (∼60 ps), and response time in the ns range and are fully compatible with the integration of single-photon sources, passive networks, and modulators.

Waveguide superconducting single-photon autocorrelators for quantum photonic applications

We report a novel component for integrated quantum photonic applications, a waveguide single-photon autocorrelator. It is based on two superconducting nanowire detectors patterned onto the same GaAs ridge waveguide. Combining the electrical output of the two detectors in a correlation card enables the measurement of the second-order correlation function g(2) (τ), which realizes the functionality of a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss experiment in a very compact integrated device. Each detector shows a polarization-independent quantum efficiency of ~0.5-1% at 1300 nm. This autocorrelator represents a key building block for quantum photonic integrated circuits including single-photon sources and linear optics.

Waveguide single-photon detectors for integrated quantum photonics

We report the first waveguide single-photon detectors. They are based on superconducting nanowires patterned on top of GaAs/AlGaAs waveguides and are suitable for monolithic integration with single-photon sources and passive quantum optical networks.

Quantum integrated photonics on GaAs

We present a quantum integrated photonics platform on GaAs including waveguide single-photon sources and detectors on the same chip.

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors integrated with waveguide circuits for quantum information science

We present our progress in the development of an integrated technology suitable for the photonic quantum information processing, showing the first autocorrelator based on two separated detectors integrated on top of the same ridge waveguide. An efficiency of ~1% at 1300 nm for both detectors and independent of the polarization of the incoming photons, is reported. This ultracompact device enables the on-chip measurement of the second-order correlation function g(2)(τ) . We will further discuss ongoing work on the integration of detectors with single-photon sources.

Waveguide Single Photon Detectors for Integrated Quantum Photonic Applications

We demonstrate waveguide single-photon detectors based on NbN nanowires on top of GaAs/AlGaAs ridge waveguides. High quantum efficiencies of ~20% at 1300 nm with a response time of 3.6ns and timing jitter of ~60ps are reported.

Development of superconducting single-photon detectors for integrated quantum photonics applications

The implementation of single-photon detectors in waveguide photonic circuits will open the possibility of experiments in quantum regime that would otherwise be impossible to be implemented using bulk optics. Nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) are good candidates for integration due to their relative ease of fabrication on top of GaAs heterostructures. In this paper we show the experimental demonstration of single-photon detectors, based on superconducting nanowires, fully integrated with GaAs/AlGaAs ridge waveguides. We will discuss all the major challenges surmounted and all the steps necessary to achieve these results.