Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors for infrared communications

The ever-increasing data sharing demands of modern technologies forces scientists to adopt new methods that can surpass the approaching limits of classical physics. Quantum optical communications and information, based on single-photon detectors offer the most promising possibility to reach new levels of data rate and communication security. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have already been used in the past to demonstrate new protocols of quantum key distribution and are currently the best single-photon detection technology to enable quantum optical communication. With the goal of creating a global quantum communication network, both optical fiber and free-space optical communication technologies have been explored. In addition, the scientific community started pursuing smaller and cheaper cryogenic solutions to enable the use of SNSPDs on a large scale. In this thesis, I describe the design and development of a cryogenic SNSPD receivers in free-space and optical-fiber configurations for 1550-nm-wavelength. The first configuration was created with the goal of enabling optical communication in the mid-IR. I present future steps to achieve this goal. The second configuration was designed to enable a compact and scalable integration of multiple SNSPD channels in the same system. Our approach has the potential of enabling SNSPD systems with more than 64 channels.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Bellei, Francesco

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Karl K. Berggren.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109008

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/109008