The Origins Space Telescope mission concept includes an exoplanet transit spectrometer that requires detector arrays with ultrahigh pixel-to-pixel stability. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, or SNSPDs, have the potential to meet these stringent stability requirements due to their digital-like output. Traditionally used for applications at near-IR telecom wavelengths, SNSPDs have demonstrated near-unity detection efficiencies, ultralow dark-count rates, and high dynamic ranges. Until recently, however, SNSPD operation at the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths of interest for Origins had not been demonstrated, and SNSPD formats were limited to small arrays and active areas. Recent advances in SNSPD fabrication techniques have pushed SNSPD sensitivity to wavelengths beyond 7 μm and have enabled millimeter-scale active areas and kilopixel arrays. We report here on this progress and the outlook toward developing arrays of ultrastable superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for mid-IR astronomy applications.

中文翻译：

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用于中红外系外行星传输光谱的超导纳米线单光子探测器技术的最新进展

Origins Space Telescope的任务概念包括系外行星运输光谱仪，它需要具有超高像素间稳定性的探测器阵列。超导纳米线单光子探测器或SNSPD由于其类似数字的输出而具有满足这些严格稳定性要求的潜力。传统上，SNSPD用于近红外电信波长的应用，已经证明了近统一检测效率，超低暗计数率和高动态范围。但是，直到最近，SNSPD仍未在Origins感兴趣的中红外（mid-IR）波长下运行，并且SNSPD格式仅限于小型阵列和有效区域。SNSPD制造技术的最新进展将SNSPD的灵敏度提高到超过7μm的波长，并实现了毫米级的有源区域和千像素阵列。我们在此报告了这一进展以及开发用于中红外天文应用的超稳定超导纳米线单光子探测器阵列的前景。