Nanocryotron ripple counter integrated with a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector for megapixel arrays

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Castellani, Matteo, Medeiros, Owen, Foster, Reed A., Buzzi, Alessandro, Colangelo, Marco, Bienfang, Joshua C., Restelli, Alessandro, Berggren, Karl K.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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_version_ 1866917708398854144
author Castellani, Matteo
Medeiros, Owen
Foster, Reed A.
Buzzi, Alessandro
Colangelo, Marco
Bienfang, Joshua C.
Restelli, Alessandro
Berggren, Karl K.
author_facet Castellani, Matteo
Medeiros, Owen
Foster, Reed A.
Buzzi, Alessandro
Colangelo, Marco
Bienfang, Joshua C.
Restelli, Alessandro
Berggren, Karl K.
contents Decreasing the number of cables that bring heat into the cryostat is a critical issue for all cryoelectronic devices. Especially, arrays of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) could require more than $10^6$ readout lines. Performing signal processing operations at low temperatures could be a solution. Nanocryotrons, superconducting nanowire three-terminal devices, are good candidates for integrating sensing and electronics on the same technological platform as SNSPDs in photon-counting applications. In this work, we demonstrated that it is possible to read out, process, encode, and store the output of SNSPDs using exclusively superconducting nanowires. In particular, we present the design and development of a nanocryotron ripple counter that detects input voltage spikes and converts the number of pulses to an $N$-digit value. The counting base can be tuned from 2 to higher values, enabling higher maximum counts without enlarging the circuit. As a proof-of-principle, we first experimentally demonstrated the building block of the counter, an integer-$N$ frequency divider with $N$ ranging from 2 to 5. Then, we demonstrated photon-counting operations at 405 nm and 1550 nm by coupling an SNSPD with a 2-digit nanocryotron counter partially integrated on-chip. The 2-digit counter could operate in either base 2 or base 3 with a bit error rate lower than $2 \times 10^{-4}$ and a count rate of $10^7\,$s$^{-1}$. We simulated circuit architectures for integrated readout of the counter state, and we evaluated the capabilities of reading out an SNSPD megapixel array that would collect up to $10^{12}$ counts per second. The results of this work, combined with our recent publications on a nanocryotron shift register and logic gates, pave the way for the development of nanocryotron processors, from which multiple superconducting platforms may benefit.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2304_11700
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nanocryotron ripple counter integrated with a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector for megapixel arrays
Castellani, Matteo
Medeiros, Owen
Foster, Reed A.
Buzzi, Alessandro
Colangelo, Marco
Bienfang, Joshua C.
Restelli, Alessandro
Berggren, Karl K.
Applied Physics
Decreasing the number of cables that bring heat into the cryostat is a critical issue for all cryoelectronic devices. Especially, arrays of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) could require more than $10^6$ readout lines. Performing signal processing operations at low temperatures could be a solution. Nanocryotrons, superconducting nanowire three-terminal devices, are good candidates for integrating sensing and electronics on the same technological platform as SNSPDs in photon-counting applications. In this work, we demonstrated that it is possible to read out, process, encode, and store the output of SNSPDs using exclusively superconducting nanowires. In particular, we present the design and development of a nanocryotron ripple counter that detects input voltage spikes and converts the number of pulses to an $N$-digit value. The counting base can be tuned from 2 to higher values, enabling higher maximum counts without enlarging the circuit. As a proof-of-principle, we first experimentally demonstrated the building block of the counter, an integer-$N$ frequency divider with $N$ ranging from 2 to 5. Then, we demonstrated photon-counting operations at 405 nm and 1550 nm by coupling an SNSPD with a 2-digit nanocryotron counter partially integrated on-chip. The 2-digit counter could operate in either base 2 or base 3 with a bit error rate lower than $2 \times 10^{-4}$ and a count rate of $10^7\,$s$^{-1}$. We simulated circuit architectures for integrated readout of the counter state, and we evaluated the capabilities of reading out an SNSPD megapixel array that would collect up to $10^{12}$ counts per second. The results of this work, combined with our recent publications on a nanocryotron shift register and logic gates, pave the way for the development of nanocryotron processors, from which multiple superconducting platforms may benefit.
title Nanocryotron ripple counter integrated with a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector for megapixel arrays
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.11700