A concept for a submillimeter-wave single-photon counter

We discuss the design for a submillimeter-wave photometer, using a combination of superconducting and single-electron devices, which would have high quantum efficiency, very low noise-equivalent powers, and eventually even submicrosecond timing resolution. The absorption of above-gap photons occurs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity 1999-06, Vol.9 (2), p.2935-2939
Main Authors: Schoelkopf, R.J., Moseley, S.H., Stahle, C.M., Wahlgren, P., Delsing, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Aluminum
Applied sciences
Counting circuits
Devices
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Josephson junctions
Niobium
Photometers
Photometry
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Single electron devices
Single-electron transistors
Superconducting device noise
Superconducting devices
Superconducting photodetectors
Superconductivity
Superconductor junctions
Superconductors
Timing
Tunnel junctions
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Summary:We discuss the design for a submillimeter-wave photometer, using a combination of superconducting and single-electron devices, which would have high quantum efficiency, very low noise-equivalent powers, and eventually even submicrosecond timing resolution. The absorption of above-gap photons occurs in a small strip of superconducting Al, whose normal-state resistance can be matched efficiently to an antenna of a higher gap (Nb) superconductor. The quasiparticles produced by photon absorption are then confined via Andreev reflection, and forced to tunnel through a small SIS tunnel junction. The tunneling time is much shorter than the known (>10 /spl mu/s) quasiparticle recombination time, so collection efficiency will be high. The device sensitivity would be limited by the small subgap current in the high-quality Al/AlO/sub x//Al tunnel junction at temperatures (100 mK) well below T/sub c/. Scaling based on the larger junctions used in X-ray detector applications suggests that the total dark current can be
ISSN:1051-8223
1558-2515
DOI:10.1109/77.783645