Superconducting single-photon detectors

The focus of our research is a new type of ultrafast infrared single-photon detector based on a superconducting nanowire. This detector is a key enabling technology for a host of applications at the frontiers of science, from quantum information processing to medical imaging. We aim to improve the performance of these detectors and to implement them into practical photon-counting systems.

We work closely together with other research groups at Heriot-Watt (Photon-counting Technologies and the Quantum Photonics Laboratory) as well as with leading UK and international groups.

Our work is supported by the Royal Society of London, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the US AFOSR/EOARD.

 

Group News and Open Positions

For latest news and information on open positions in the group please click here.

Group Members

Dr Robert Hadfield	Group Leader	r.h.hadfield@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 3055
Dr Michael Tanner	Research Associate	m.tanner@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 3588
Dr Chandra Mouli Natarajan	Research Associate/SU2P Fellow at Stanford	cmn10@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 3650
Mr Robert Heath	PhD student	rmh9@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 3650
Ms Catherine Fitzpatrick	EngD student	cat.fitzpatrick@npl.co.uk
Mr Nathan Gemmell	PhD student	nrgl@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 4687
Mr Peter Saxton	PhD student	p.saxton@hw.ac.uk	+44 131 451 3650

Recent Publications

2012

D Bonneau, M Lobino, P Jiang, CM Natarajan, MG Tanner, RH Hadfield, SN Dorenbos, V Zwiller, MG Thompson, JL O’Brien ‘Fast path and polarization manipulation of telecom wavelength single photons in lithium niobate waveguide devices’ Physical Review Letters 108 053601 (2012)

S Dyer, MG Tanner, RH Hadfield, SW Nam ‘Analysis of a distributed fiber-optic temperature sensor using single-photon detectors’ Optics Express 20 (4) 3456 (2012)

JH Prechtel, PA Dalgarno, RH Hadfield, J McFarlane, A Badalato, PM Petroff, RJ Warburton ‘GHz bandwidth electro-optics of a single self-assembled quantum dot in a charge-tunable device’ submitted to Journal of Applied Physics 111 043112 (2012)

2011

MG Tanner, SD Dyer, RH Hadfield, S Nam 'High resolution single-mode fiber-optic distributed Raman sensor for absolute temperature measurement using superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors' Applied Physics Letters 99 201110 (2011)

T Gerrits, MJ Stevens, B Baek, B Calkins, A lita, S Glancy, E Knill, S Nam, RP Mirin, RH Hadfield, RS Bennink, WP Grice, SN Dorenbos, T Zijlstra, T Klapwijk, V Zwiller ‘Generation of degenerate, factorizable pulsed squeezed light at telecom wavelengths’ Optics Express 19 (24) 24434 (2011)

M Lobino, GD Marshall, C Xiong, AS Clark, D Bonneau, CM Natarajan, MG Tanner, RH Hadfield, SN Dorenbos, T Zijlstra, V Zwiller, M Marangoni, R Ramponi, MG Thompson, BJ Eggleton, JL O’Brien ‘Correlated photon-pair generation in a periodically poled MgO doped stoichiometric lithium tanalate reverse proton exchanged waveguide’ Applied Physics Letters 99 (8) 081110 (2011)

PJ Clarke, RJ Collins, PA Hiskett, M-J Garcia-Martinez, NJ Krichel, A McCarthy, MG Tanner, JA O’Connor, CM Natarajan, S Miki, M Sasaki, Z Wang, M Fujiwara, I Rech, M Ghioni, A Gulinatti, RH Hadfield, PD Townsend, GS Buller ‘Analysis of detector performance in a gigahertz clock rate quantum key distribution system’ New Journal of Physics 13 (7) 075008 (2011)

JA O’Connor, MG Tanner, CM Natarajan, GS Buller, RJ Warburton, S Miki, Z Wang, SW Nam, RH Hadfield ‘Spatial dependence of output pulse delay in niobium nitride nanowire superconducting single-photon detector’ Applied Physics Letters 98 (20) 201116 (2011)

C Xiong, GD Marshall, A Peruzzo, M Lobino, AS Clark, DY Choi, SJ Madden, CM Natarajan, MG Tanner, RH Hadfield, SN Dorenbos, T Zijlstra, V Zwiller, MG Thompson, JG Rarity, MJ Stell, B Luther-Davies, BJ Eggleton, JL O’Brien ‘Generation of correlated photon pairs in a chalcogenide As(2)S(3) waveguide’ Applied Physics Letters 98 (5) 051101 (2011)

2010

SN Dorenbos, H Sasakura, MP van Kouwen, N Akopian, S Adachi, N Namekata, M Jo, J Motohisa, Y Kobayashi, K Tomioka, T Fukui, S Inoue, H Kumano, CM Natarajan, RH Hadfield, T Zijlstra, TM Klapwijk, V Zwiller, I Suemune ‘Position controlled nanowires for infrared single photon emission’ Applied Physics Letters 97 (17) 171106 (2010)

MG Tanner, CM Natarajan, VK Pottapenjara, JA O’Connor, RJ Warburton, RH Hadfield, B Baek, S Nam, SN Dorenbos, EB Urena, T Zijlstra, TM Klapwijk, V Zwiller ‘Enhanced telecom wavelength single-photon detection with NbTiN superconducting nanowires on oxidized silicon’ Applied Physics Letters 96 (22) 221109 (2010)

CM Natarajan, A Peruzzo, S Miki, M Sasaki, Z Wang, B Baek, S Nam, RH Hadfield, JL O’Brien ‘Operating quantum waveguide circuits with superconducting single-photon detectors’ Applied Physics Letters 96 (21) 211101 (2010)

CR Fitzpatrick, CM Natarajan, RE Warburton, GS Buller, B Baek, S Nam, S Miki, Z Wang, S Sasaki, AG Sinclair, RH Hadfield ‘A superconducting nanowire single-photon detector system for single-photon source characterziation’ Proc. SPIE 7681 76810H (2010)

YY Gong, M Makarova, S Yerci, R Li, MJ Stevens, B Baek, SW Nam, RH Hadfield, SN Dorenbos, V Zwiller, J. Vuckovic, L Dal Negro ‘Linewidth narrowing and Purcell enhancement in photonic crystal cavities on an Er-doped silicon nitride platform’ Optics Express 18 (3) 2601 (2010)

RJ Collins, RH Hadfield, GS Buller ‘New developments in single photon detection in the short wavelength infrared regime’ J. Nanophotonics (4) 040301 (2010)  

2009

RH Hadfield 'Single-photon detectors for optical quantum information applications' Nature Photonics 3 696 (2009)

D Rosenberg, CG Peterson, J Harrington, PR Rice, N Dallman, KT Tyagi, KP McCabe, S Nam, B Baek, RH Hadfield, RJ Hughes, JE Nordholt 'Practical long distance quantum key distribution system using decoy levels' New Journal of Physics 11 045009 (2009)

J McFarlane, PA Dalgarno, BD Gerardot, RH Hadfield RJ Warburton, K Karrai, A Badolato, PM Petroff 'Gigahertz bandwidth electrical control over a dark exciton based memory bit in a single quantum dot' Applied Physics Letters 94 093113 (2009)

MJ Stevens, RH Hadfield, T Gerrits, TS Clement, RP Mirin, S Nam 'Infrared wavelength-dependent optical characterization of NbN nanowire single-photon detectors' Journal of Modern Optics 56 2-3 358 (2009) 

2008

KA Serrels, E Ramsay, PA Dalgarno, B Gerardot, J O'Connor, RH Hadfield. RJ Warburton, DT Reid, 'Solid Immersion lens applications for nanophotonic devices' J. Nanophotonics 2 021854 (2008)

T Honjo, SW Nam, H Takesue, Q Zhang, H Kamada, Y Nishida, O Tadanaga, M Asobe, B Baek, R Hadfield, S Miki, M Fujiwara, M Sasaki, Z Wang, K Inoue, Y Yamamoto ‘Long distance entanglement-based quantum key distribution over optical fiber’ Optics Express 16 23 19119 (2008)

MA Rowe, E.J Gansen, MB Greene, D Rosenberg, TE Harvey, MY Su, RH Hadfield, SW Nam, RP Mirin ‘Designing high electron mobility transistor heterostructures with quantum dots for efficient, number resolving photon detection’ J. Vacuum Science and Technology B 26 3 1174-1177 (2008)

J Chen, JB Altepeter, M Medic, KF Lee, B Gokden, P Kumar, RH Hadfield, S Nam ‘Fiber-based telecom CNOT gate’ Physical Review Letters 100 133603 (2008)

S Miki, M Fujiwara, M Sasaki, B Baek, AJ Miller, RH Hadfield, S Nam, Z Wang ‘Large sensitive-area single-photon detectors fabricated on single-crystal MgO substrates’ Applied Physics Letters 92 061116 (2008) 

2007

RH Hadfield, PA Dalgarno, E Ramsay, RJ Warburton, EJ Gansen, B Baek, S Nam ‘Submicrometer photoresponse mapping of nanowire superconducting single-photon detector’ 91, 241108, Applied Physics Letters (2007)

EJ Gansen, MA Rowe, MB Greene, D Rosenberg, TE Harvey, MY Su, RH Hadfield, S Nam, RP Mirin ‘Photon number-discriminating detection using a quantum dot optically gated field effect transistor with a metallic aperture’ Nature Photonics 1 (10) 585 (2007)

RE Warburton, A McCarthy, A Walker, S Hernandez-Marin, RH Hadfield, S Nam, GS Buller ‘Subcentimeter depth resolution using a photon-counting time-of-flight laser ranging system’ Optics Letters 32 (15) 2266 (2007)

H Takesue, S Nam, Q Zhang, RH Hadfield, T Honjo, K Tamaki, Y Yamamoto, ‘Quantum key distribution over 40 dB channel loss using superconducting single-photon detectors’ 1 (6) 343 Nature Photonics (2007)

RH Hadfield, MJ Stevens, S Nam, RP Mirin, ‘Single-photon source characterization with infra-red sensitive superconducting single-photon detectors’ J. Appl. Phys. 101 103104 (2007)

C Liang, KF Lee, M Medic, P Kumar, RH Hadfield, P Kumar ‘Characterization of fiber-generated entangled pairs with superconducting single-photon detectors’ Optics Express 15 (3) 1322 (2007)

RJ Collins, RH Hadfield, V Fernandez, GS Buller 'Low timing jitter detector for gigahertz quantum key distribution', Electronics Letters 43 (3) (2007) 

2006

MA Rowe, EJ Gansen, M Greene, RH Hadfield, TE Harvey, MY Su, S Nam, RP Mirin, D Rosenberg 'Single-photon detection using a quantum dot optically gated field effect transistor with high internal quantum efficiency' Applied Physics Letters 89 253505 (2006)

MJ Stevens, RH Hadfield, RE Schwall, S Nam, RP Mirin 'Quantum dot single photon sources studied with superconducting single-photon detectors' IEEE J. Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 12 (6) 1255 (2006)

RH Hadfield, J L Habif, J Schlafer, RE Schwall, S Nam ‘Quantum Key Distribution at 1550 nm with twin superconducting single-photon detectors’, Applied Physics Letters 89 241129 (2006)

MJ Stevens, RH Hadfield, RE Schwall, S Nam, RP Mirin ‘Fast lifetime measurements of infrared emitters using a low-jitter superconducting single-photon detector’ Appl. Phys. Lett. 89 031109 (2006)

M Jaspan, J Habif, RH Hadfield, S Nam 'Heralding of entangled telecom pairs with a superconducting single-photon detector' Applied Physics Letters 89 031112 (2006) 

2005

RH Hadfield, MJ Stevens, SS Gruber, AJ Miller, RE Schwall, RP Mirin, S Nam ‘Single-photon source characterization with a superconducting single-photon detector’, Optics Express 13 10846 (2005)

RH Hadfield, AJ Miller, S Nam, RL Kautz, RE Schwall, ‘Low frequency phase locking in superconducting nanowires’ Appl. Phys. Lett. 87 (1) 066545 (2005)