Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors: A perspective on evolution, state-of-the-art, future developments, and applications

Iman Esmaeil Zadeh*, J. Chang, Johannes W.N. Los, Samuel Gyger, Ali W. Elshaari, Stephan Steinhauer, Sander N. Dorenbos, Val Zwiller

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

101 Citations (Scopus)
240 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Two decades after their demonstration, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have become indispensable tools for quantum photonics as well as for many other photon-starved applications. This invention has not only led to a burgeoning academic field with a wide range of applications but also triggered industrial efforts. Current state-of-the-art SNSPDs combine near-unity detection efficiency over a wide spectral range, low dark counts, short dead times, and picosecond time resolution. The present perspective discusses important milestones and progress of SNSPDs research, emerging applications, and future challenges and gives an outlook on technological developments required to bring SNSPDs to the next level: a photon-counting, fast time-tagging imaging, and multi-pixel technology that is also compatible with quantum photonic integrated circuits.

Original languageEnglish
Article number190502
Number of pages14
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume118
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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