Operation of Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors Embedded in Lumped Element Resonant Circuits
We propose a new operation principle for superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) enabling an efficient frequency division multiplexing of the bias and readout signals of a large multipixel detector array. The SNSPD is part of a resonant circuit, and the microwave signal inside the device is used to bias the detector close to the critical state. Hence, an nxm pixel SNSPD array requires only two coaxial cables from room temperature to the detector ambient temperature of 4.2 K. We show the microwave characterization and single photon response of such devices and compare the detector efficiencies with conventional dc biased SNSPDs. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of array applications with the new operation mode in a two pixel proof of principle device.
IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity