Wavelength-Sensitive Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors on Thin Film Lithium Niobate Waveguides
Alessandro Prencipe, Samuel Gyger, Mohammad Amin Baghban, Julien Zichi, Katharina D. Zeuner, Thomas Lettner, Lucas Schweickert, Stephan Steinhauer, Ali W. Elshaari, Katia Gallo, Val Zwiller
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Lithium niobate, because of its nonlinear and electro-optical properties, is one of the materials of choice for photonic applications. The development of nanostructuring capabilities of thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) permits fabrication of small footprint, low-loss optical circuits. With the recent implementation of on-chip single-photon detectors, this architecture is among the most promising for realizing on-chip quantum optics experiments. In this Letter, we report on the implementation of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) based on NbTiN on 300 nm thick TFLN ridge nano-waveguides. We demonstrate a waveguide-integrated wavelength meter based on the photon energy dependence of the superconducting detectors. The device operates at the telecom C- and L-bands and has a footprint smaller than 300 × 180 μm 2 and critical currents between ∼12 and ∼14 μA, which ensures operation with minimum heat dissipation. Our results hold promise for future densely packed on-chip wavelength-multiplexed quantum communication systems.