Single photon detector device
The invention relates to a single photon detector device for detecting an optical signal comprising an optical fiber and at least one nanowire, wherein the optical fiber comprises a core area and a cladding area and is designed to conduct the optical signal along an optical axis, wherein, with respect to the optical axis, a first area of the optical fiber is an entrance area for the optical signal and a second area of the optical fiber is a detector area, and wherein the nanowire becomes superconducting at a predetermined temperature and is designed in the superconducting state to generate an output signal as a function of the optical signal. It is provided that in the detector area of the optical fiber the nanowire extends essentially along the optical axis of the optical fiber. A single photon detector device is thus provided which has a simple structure, a high efficiency, a high detection rate and a high spectral bandwidth.
1. A single photon detector device for detecting an optical signal comprising an optical fiber and at least one nanowire, the optical fiber comprising a core area and being designed to conduct the optical signal along an optical axis, with respect to the optical axis, a first area of the optical fiber being an entrance area for the optical signal and a second area of the optical fiber being a detector area, and the nanowire becoming superconducting at a predetermined temperature and being designed in the superconducting state to generate an output signal as a function of the optical signal,
wherein, in the detector area of the optical fiber, the nanowire extends essentially along the optical axis of the optical fiber.
2. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the ends of the nanowire are each connected to an electrode.
3. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the nanowire essentially extends within the core area, on the core area, between the core area and the cladding area, within the cladding area and/or on the cladding area of the optical fiber.
4. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the nanowire comprises two regions which extend essentially parallel to one another along the optical axis and that the two regions are connected at the ends thereof by a third region, so that the nanowire is designed essentially U-shaped.
5. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the single photon detector device comprises a plurality of nanowires.
6. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the nanowire consists of at least one of the materials from the group of NbN, NbTiN, Nb 3 Sn, MgB 2 , W x Si 1-x , iron-containing high-temperature superconductors, high-temperature superconductors having copper oxide, particularly YBCO and/or BSCCO.
7. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the nanowire has an essentially rectangular cross section, wherein a thickness of the nanowire is between 0.5 and 100 nm and a width of the nanowire is between 20 and 400 nm.
8. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the nanowire is between 200 nm and 200 μm.
9. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber in the entrance area has an essentially circular cross section, the diameter of which is between 75 and 200 μm, wherein in the entrance area of the optical fiber, the core area of the optical fiber also has an essentially circular cross section, the diameter of which is between 2 and 20 μm and the core area is essentially concentrically surrounded by the cladding area.
10. The single photon detector device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber tapers in the detector area and/or that the optical fiber is a drawn optical fiber.
11. A method of manufacturing a single photon detector device according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
providing an optical fiber, the optical fiber comprising a core area and a cladding area and being designed to conduct an optical signal along an optical axis, with reference to the optical axis, a first area of the optical fiber being an entrance area for the optical signal and a second area of the optical fiber being a detector area,
forming a nanowire directly on the optical fiber, the nanowire being superconducting at a suitably low temperature and being designed in the superconducting state to generate an output signal as a function of the optical signal,
wherein the formation of the nanowire in the detector area of the optical fiber takes place essentially along the optical axis of the optical fiber.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method additionally comprises the following step:
removing the cladding area and/or core area of the optical fiber in the detector area.