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arXiv · 2309.16890

A 64-pixel mid-infrared single-photon imager based on superconducting nanowire detectors

Benedikt Hampel·Richard P. Mirin·Sae Woo Nam·Varun B. Verma
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Abstract

A large-format mid-infrared single-photon imager with very low dark count rates would enable a broad range of applications in fields like astronomy and chemistry. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are a mature photon-counting technology as demonstrated by their figures of merit. However, scaling SNSPDs to large array sizes for mid-infrared applications requires sophisticated readout architectures in addition to superconducting materials development. In this work, an SNSPD array design that combines a thermally coupled row-column multiplexing architecture with a thermally coupled time-of-flight transmission line was developed for mid-infrared applications. The design requires only six cables and can be scaled to larger array sizes. The demonstration of a 64-pixel array shows promising results for wavelengths between $\mathrm{3.4\,\mu m}$ and $\mathrm{10\,\mu m}$, which will enable the use of this single-photon detector technology for a broad range of new applications.

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Benedikt Hampel, Richard P. Mirin, Sae Woo Nam, Varun B. Verma. 2023-09-28. A 64-pixel mid-infrared single-photon imager based on superconducting nanowire detectors. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0178931

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