Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) promise to combine near-unity quantum efficiency with >100 megacounts per second rates, picosecond timing jitter, and sensitivity ranging from x-ray to mid-infrared wavelengths. However, this promise is not yet fulfilled, as superior performance in all metrics is yet to be combined into one device. The highest single-pixel detection efficiency and the widest bias windows for saturated quantum efficiency have been achieved in SNSPDs based on amorphous materials, while the lowest timing jitter and highest counting rates were demonstrated in devices made from polycrystalline materials. Broadly speaking, the amorphous superconductors that have been used to make SNSPDs have higher resistivities and lower critical temperature (Tc) values than typical polycrystalline materials. Here, we demonstrate a method of preparing niobium nitride (NbN) that has lower-than-typical superconducting transition temperature and higher-than-typical resistivity. As we will ...

中文翻译：

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偏置溅射 NbN 和超导纳米线器件

超导纳米线单光子探测器 (SNSPD) 有望将接近统一的量子效率与每秒超过 100 兆计数的速率、皮秒时间抖动以及从 X 射线到中红外波长的灵敏度相结合。然而，这一承诺尚未兑现，因为尚未将所有指标的卓越性能整合到一个设备中。在基于非晶材料的 SNSPD 中实现了最高的单像素检测效率和最宽的饱和量子效率偏置窗口，而在由多晶材料制成的器件中证明了最低的时序抖动和最高的计数率。从广义上讲，与典型的多晶材料相比，用于制造 SNSPD 的非晶超导体具有更高的电阻率和更低的临界温度 (Tc) 值。这里，我们展示了一种制备具有低于典型超导转变温度和高于典型电阻率的氮化铌 (NbN) 的方法。正如我们将...