Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Columbia University

Faraz Najafi

Karl Kimon Berggren

Dirk Robert Englund

Jacob C Mower

Adam N McCaughan

Xiaolong Hu

Kristen Ann Sunter

Superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors (SNAPs) have using meandering nanowires to detect incident photons. When a superconducting nanowire absorbs a photon, it switches from a superconducting state to a resistive state, producing a change in voltage that can be measured across the nanowire. A SNAP may include multiple nanowires in order to increase the fill factor of the SNAP's active area and the SNAP's detection efficiency. But using multiple meandering nanowires to achieve high fill-factor in SNAPs can lead to current crowding at bends in the nanowires. This current crowding degrades SNAP performance by decreasing the switching current, which the current at which the nanowire transitions from a superconducting state to a resistive state. Fortunately, staggering the bends in the nanowires reduces current crowding, increasing the nanowire switching current, which in turn increases the SNAP dynamic range.

Superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors with reduced current crowding

Compactly-integrated electronic structures and associated systems and methods are provided. Certain embodiments relate to the ability to integrate nanowire-based detectors with optical components.

Compactly-integrated optical detectors and associated systems and methods

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Faraz Najafi