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Phonon-Trapping-Enhanced Energy Resolution in Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors

Pieter J. de Visser, Steven A.H. de Rooij, Vignesh Murugesan, David J. Thoen, and Jochem J.A. Baselmans
Phys. Rev. Applied 16, 034051 – Published 30 September 2021
Physics logo See synopsis: Trapped Phonons Improve Photon Detection

Abstract

A noiseless, photon-counting detector, which resolves the energy of each photon, could radically change astronomy, biophysics, and quantum optics. Superconducting detectors promise an intrinsic resolving power at visible wavelengths of R=E/δE100 due to their low excitation energy. We study superconducting energy-resolving microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), which hold particular promise for larger cameras. A visible and near-infrared photon absorbed in the superconductor creates a few thousand quasiparticles through several stages of electron-phonon interaction. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the resolving power of MKIDs at visible to near-infrared wavelengths is limited by the loss of hot phonons during this process. We measure the resolving power of our aluminum-based detector as a function of photon energy using four lasers with wavelengths between 1545402nm. For detectors on thick SiN/Si and sapphire substrates the resolving power is limited to 1021 for the respective wavelengths, consistent with the loss of hot phonons. When we suspend the sensitive part of the detector on a 110-nm-thick SiN membrane, the measured resolving power improves to 1952, respectively. The improvement is equivalent to a factor 8±2 stronger phonon trapping on the membrane, which is consistent with a geometrical phonon propagation model for these hot phonons. We discuss a route towards the Fano limit by phonon engineering.

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  • Received 12 March 2021
  • Revised 30 March 2021
  • Accepted 17 August 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.16.034051

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

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Trapped Phonons Improve Photon Detection

Published 30 September 2021

Researchers more than double the frequency resolution of a superconducting single-photon detector through phonon trapping.

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Authors & Affiliations

Pieter J. de Visser1,*, Steven A.H. de Rooij1,2, Vignesh Murugesan1, David J. Thoen2,3, and Jochem J.A. Baselmans1,2

  • 1SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niels Bohrweg 4, Leiden 2333 CA, Netherlands
  • 2Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft 2628 CD, Netherlands
  • 3Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Lorentzweg 1, Delft 2628CJ, Netherlands

  • *p.j.de.visser@sron.nl

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Vol. 16, Iss. 3 — September 2021

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