Doped niobium superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

We designed and fabricated a special doped niobium (Nb*) superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) on MgO substrate. The superconductivity of this ultra-thin Nb* film was further improved by depositing an ultra-thin aluminum nitride protective layer on top. Compared with traditional Nb films, Nb* films present higher T _C and J _C. We investigated the dependence of the characteristics of devices, such as cut-off wavelength, response bandwidth, and temperature, on their geometrical dimensions. Results indicate that reduction in both the width and thickness of Nb* nanowires extended the cut-off wavelength and improved the sensitivity. The Nb* SNSPD (50 nm width and 4.5 nm thickness) exhibited single-photon sensitivities at 1,310, 1,550, and 2,010 nm. We also demonstrated an enhancement in the detection efficiency by a factor of 10 in its count rate by lowering the working temperature from 2.26 K to 315 mK.