Single-Photon Detection in Few-Layer NbSe$_2$ Superconducting Nanowires

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Zugliani, Lucio, Palermo, Alessandro, Scaparra, Bianca, Patra, Aniket, Wietschorke, Fabian, Metuh, Pietro, Paralikis, Athanasios, De Fazio, Domenico, Kastl, Christoph, Flaschmann, Rasmus, Munkhbat, Battulga, Müller, Kai, Finley, Jonathan J., Barbone, Matteo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Zugliani, Lucio
Palermo, Alessandro
Scaparra, Bianca
Patra, Aniket
Wietschorke, Fabian
Metuh, Pietro
Paralikis, Athanasios
De Fazio, Domenico
Kastl, Christoph
Flaschmann, Rasmus
Munkhbat, Battulga
Müller, Kai
Finley, Jonathan J.
Barbone, Matteo
author_facet Zugliani, Lucio
Palermo, Alessandro
Scaparra, Bianca
Patra, Aniket
Wietschorke, Fabian
Metuh, Pietro
Paralikis, Athanasios
De Fazio, Domenico
Kastl, Christoph
Flaschmann, Rasmus
Munkhbat, Battulga
Müller, Kai
Finley, Jonathan J.
Barbone, Matteo
contents Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are key building blocks for photonic quantum technologies due to their ability to detect single photons with ultra-high efficiency, low dark counts and fast temporal resolution. Superconducting materials exhibiting high uniformity, large absorption cross-section and atomic-scale thickness are desirable to extend single-photon detection from the near-infrared up to the terahertz regime, where existing material choices are especially constrained. Substrate independence would further open the way to integrate detectors onto functional materials and heterostructures, enhancing performance and enabling proximal read-out of a wide range of individual excitations. Here, we top-down shape the prototypical two-dimensional superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe$_2$) into few-layer nanowires less than 100 nm wide and demonstrate single-photon detection at 780 and 1550 nm. At the same time, the dark-count rate remains below 1 Hz up to the switching current and we achieve a timing jitter below 50 ps. We use a diffusive hot-spot model to estimate a theoretical cut-off wavelength that surpasses the millimetre range. Our results open up routes toward quantum limited detectors integrated into quantum-photonic circuits and quantum devices, with the potential for novel detection capabilities and unprecedented energy sensitivity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_18843
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Single-Photon Detection in Few-Layer NbSe$_2$ Superconducting Nanowires
Zugliani, Lucio
Palermo, Alessandro
Scaparra, Bianca
Patra, Aniket
Wietschorke, Fabian
Metuh, Pietro
Paralikis, Athanasios
De Fazio, Domenico
Kastl, Christoph
Flaschmann, Rasmus
Munkhbat, Battulga
Müller, Kai
Finley, Jonathan J.
Barbone, Matteo
Superconductivity
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Quantum Physics
Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are key building blocks for photonic quantum technologies due to their ability to detect single photons with ultra-high efficiency, low dark counts and fast temporal resolution. Superconducting materials exhibiting high uniformity, large absorption cross-section and atomic-scale thickness are desirable to extend single-photon detection from the near-infrared up to the terahertz regime, where existing material choices are especially constrained. Substrate independence would further open the way to integrate detectors onto functional materials and heterostructures, enhancing performance and enabling proximal read-out of a wide range of individual excitations. Here, we top-down shape the prototypical two-dimensional superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe$_2$) into few-layer nanowires less than 100 nm wide and demonstrate single-photon detection at 780 and 1550 nm. At the same time, the dark-count rate remains below 1 Hz up to the switching current and we achieve a timing jitter below 50 ps. We use a diffusive hot-spot model to estimate a theoretical cut-off wavelength that surpasses the millimetre range. Our results open up routes toward quantum limited detectors integrated into quantum-photonic circuits and quantum devices, with the potential for novel detection capabilities and unprecedented energy sensitivity.
title Single-Photon Detection in Few-Layer NbSe$_2$ Superconducting Nanowires
topic Superconductivity
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.18843