Open AccessLow-jitter single flux quantum signal readout from superconducting single photon detector
Author(s) -
Hirotaka Terai,
Taro Yamashita,
Shigehito Miki,
Kazumasa Makise,
Zhen Wang
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.20.020115
Subject(s) - jitter , physics , optics , detector , full width at half maximum , magnetic flux quantum , signal (programming language) , photon counting , optoelectronics , photon , integral nonlinearity , pulse width modulation , superconductivity , electrical engineering , voltage , josephson effect , computer science , quantum mechanics , programming language , engineering , converters
We developed a single-flux-quantum (SFQ) readout technology for superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) to achieve low-jitter signal readout. By optimizing circuit parameters of the SFQ readout circuit, the input current sensitivity was improved below 10 μA, which is smaller than a typical critical current of SSPD. The experiment using a pulse-pattern generator as an input pulse source revealed that the measured jitter of the SFQ readout circuit is well below the system jitter of our measurement setup for the input current level above 15 μA. The measured jitter of the SSPD connected to the SFQ readout circuit was 37 ps full width at half maximum (FWHM) for an SSPD bias current of around 18 μA, which is a significant improvement on 67 ps FWHM jitter observed in conventional readout without an SFQ readout circuit.