Government of the United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Sae Woo Nam

Varun Verma

Adam N McCaughan

Jeffrey Michael Shainline

Burm Baek

Sonia Buckley

Alan Migdall

Francesco Marsilli

Serery Polykov

Boris Alexander Korzh

Manuel A Castellanos-Beltran

Francesco Marsili

A thermally coupled imager includes a single photon detection pixel electrically isolated but in thermal communication with a thermal readout bus via a thermally conductive galvanic isolator, wherein the single photon detection pixel receives a single photon and produces thermal energy that is communicated to the thermal readout bus. A position and time of arrival of the single photon received by the single photon detection pixel is determined from voltage pulses produced by the thermal readout bus in response to receiving the thermal energy from the single photon detection pixel.

Thermally coupled imager for performing time and position sensitive imaging of single photons

A primary single photon optoelectronic neuron includes a photonic synaptic input waveguide; an optoelectronic synapse; a synapto-dendritic electrical connection in communication with the optoelectronic synapse; an electronic dendrite in communication with the synapto-dendritic electrical connection; a dendrite-neuronal electrical interface in communication with the electronic dendrite; an integrator in communication with the dendrite-neuronal electrical interface; a superconducting wire in communication with the integrator; an axon hillock electronic-to-photonic transducer in communication with the superconducting wire; and an axonic waveguide in communication with the axon hillock electronic-to-photonic transducer and that receives the axonic photonic signal. Producing an axonic photonic signal by a primary single photon optoelectronic neuron includes producing an optoelectronic synapse electronic output signal; producing an electronic dendrite electrical output signal from the optoelectronic synapse electronic output signal; producing an axonic electrical signal from the optoelectronic synapse electronic output signal; and producing the axonic photonic signal from the axonic electrical signal.

Josephson junction circuits for single-photon optoelectronic neurons and synapses

A neuromimetic circuit includes: a primary single photon optoelectronic neuron; a synapse in optical communication with the primary single photon optoelectronic neuron; and an axonic waveguide in optical communication with the primary single photon optoelectronic neuron and the synapse such that the axonic waveguide optically interconnects the primary single photon optoelectronic neuron and the synapse.

Neuromimetic circuit

A thermal impedance amplifier includes: a resistive layer including: a resistance member; a first electrode in electrical communication with the resistance member; and a second electrode in electrical communication with the resistance member; a switch layer opposing the resistive layer and including: a switch member; a first switch electrode in electrical communication with the switch member; and a second switch electrode in electrical communication with the switch member, the switch member: switching from a first resistance to a second resistance in response to receiving phonons from the resistance member, being superconductive at the first resistance, and producing an amplified voltage in response to being at the second resistance; and a thermal conductor interposed between the resistance member and the switch member.

Thermal impedance amplifier

An apparatus includes a base layer; and a superconducting nanowire disposed on the base layer in a continuous meander pattern and including an amorphous metal-metalloid alloy such that the apparatus is configured to detect single photons, and the continuous meander pattern includes: a plurality of parallel line segments; and a plurality of curved segments, wherein adjacent parallel line segments are joined by a curved segment. A method for making an apparatus for detecting single photons includes forming a base layer; forming a superconducting layer on the base layer; patterning the superconducting layer; and forming a continuous meander pattern from the superconducting layer, the continuous meander pattern includes a plurality of parallel line segments; and a plurality of curved segments, wherein adjacent parallel line segments are joined by a curved segment; and forming a dielectric layer on the continuous meander pattern, the dielectric layer including a dielectric material that is substantially transparent to a predetermined photon wavelength, wherein the apparatus is configured to detect single photons.

Efficient polarization independent single photon detector

A superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SN-SPD) microelectronic circuit is described which has higher quantum efficiency and signal-to-noise than any SN-SPD's known in the art. The material and configuration of the microelectronic circuit eliminates the polarization dependence and shows improved signal-to-noise over SN-SPD microelectronic circuits known in the art. The higher efficiency, polarization independence, and high signal-to-noise is achieved by vertically stacking two tungsten-silicide (TS) SN-SPDs and electrically connecting them in parallel. This structure forms a multilayer superconducting nanowire avalanche photo-detector (SNAP). A single photon detection device employing the multilayer (SNAP) microelectronic circuit demonstrates a peak system detection efficiency of 87.7% and a polarization dependence of less than 2%. This represents nearly an order of magnitude improvement in both system detection efficiency and reduction of polarization dependence compared to conventional SNSPDs.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an inexpensive and fast pulse characterization platform capable of real time operation, suitable for acquisition of single-photon data. Embodiments of the present invention include both a digital multi-channel data acquisition instrument and an analog pulse acquisition instrument suitable for a wide range of applications in physics laboratories. An FPGA performs multi-channel acquisition in real time, time stamps single events, and determines if the events fit a predetermined signature, which causes the events to be categorized as a coincidence. The indications of coincidences are then communicated to a host computer for further processing as desired.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Sae Woo Nam