title: Waveguide integrated low noise NbTiN nanowire single-photon detectors with milli-Hz dark count rate.
abstract: Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are an ideal match for integrated quantum photonic circuits due to their high detection efficiency for telecom wavelength photons. Quantum optical technology also requires single-photon detection with low dark count rate and high timing accuracy. Here we present very low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors based on NbTiN thin films patterned directly on top of Si3N4 waveguides. We systematically investigate a large variety of detector designs and characterize their detection noise performance. Milli-Hz dark count rates are demonstrated over the entire operating range of the nanowire detectors which also feature low timing jitter. The ultra-low dark count rate, in combination with the high detection efficiency inherent to our travelling wave detector geometry, gives rise to a measured noise equivalent power at the 10(-20) W/Hz(1/2) level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schuck
authors.forename: Wolfram H P
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Pernice
authors.forename: Hong X
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D009556:Niobium / Q000737:chemistry*; D017785:Photons; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D017655:Silicon Compounds; D009556:Niobium; C041500:titanium nitride; D014025:Titanium; C032734:silicon nitride