Space-Proofing Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector Developed Successfully

[China Instrument Network Instrument Development] Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD: Superconducting nanowires single-photon detector) as a high-performance single photon detector has been widely used in quantum information, laser radar, deep space communications and other fields, Strongly promoted scientific and technological progress in related fields. However, to date, all SNSPDs have only been applied for verification on the ground, including the NASA laser communication LLCD project in the United States in 2013. They have also used superconducting single-photon detectors at ground receiving stations and have had to use them on satellites. A poor performance semiconductor single photon detector. If SNSPD can be used in space applications, it is expected to realize the leap-forward development of space optical communication technology and significantly increase the distance and code rate of deep-space laser communication and quantum communication. The main factor restricting the space application of SNSPD is refrigeration technology.

Space-based application of SNSPD system creative map

The SNSPD usually needs to work in the temperature zone below liquid helium (4.2K). A typical solution is to use a commercial GM secondary closed loop chiller. SNSPD commercial products of 6 companies including Shanghai Futong Technology Co., Ltd. all use similar refrigeration technology. However, due to the use of oil compressors in such refrigerators, there are moving parts in the cold head, and due to the size and weight power consumption of such refrigerators, such refrigerators cannot achieve space applications.

With the demand for high-performance single-photon detection technology for space applications, researchers around the world have been working hard to develop a small liquid helium temperature zone chiller technology for space applications, and it is expected to combine it with high-performance SNSPD. In January 2017, the United States NIST first reported a small refrigerator based on three-stage vessels plus JT throttling technology. However, JT's compressors have not been successfully developed and failed to implement the SNSPD performance test [IEEETransonApplSupercond 27:9500405 (2017) )]. In September 2017, the Glasgow University in the UK reported a small refrigerator based on Sterling+JT throttling technology, which can meet the space application requirements, but the minimum temperature can only reach 4.2K. The researchers used this chiller to achieve a normal working SNSPD (1310 nm wavelength/dark count KHz/detection efficiency of only 20%), but the performance is very limited and comparable to the performance of a semiconductor detector [SupercondSciandTech30:11lt01 (2017)].

Starting from 2017, the Yulixing team of the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Superconductivity School Excellence Innovation Center and the Liang Jingtao team of the Physical and Chemical Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are working together to develop the SNSPD system for space applications. The Institute of Physics, Chemistry, and Technology has successfully developed a secondary chiller + JT throttling technology small-scale chiller that can realize space applications, and the lowest no-load working temperature can reach 2.6K. After installing the SNSPD device developed by Shanghai Microsystems, the minimum operating temperature reaches 2.8K. At this temperature, the first time in the world to achieve a 1550nm operating wavelength, the highest system detection efficiency of more than 50%. With a 100Hz dark count, the system has a detection efficiency of 47% and jitter of only 48ps. The performance greatly exceeds the traditional semiconductor detectors. Related results were recently published in OpticsExpress [OE26(3):2965-2971.(2018)]. The results are expected to provide high-performance single-photon detector solutions for space applications such as next-generation quantum satellites and deep-space laser communications in China.

The work was funded by the National Key R&D Program “High-performance Single Photon Detection Technology” (2017YFA0304000), Cross Innovation Team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Superconductivity Single Photon Detection Innovation Cross Team), Natural Science Fund and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

(Original title: Wings for Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors - Spaceborne Applications of Superconducting Nanowires Single Photon Detector)