Characterization and Active Control of Position-Dependent Timing Dynamics in Superconducting Strip Single-Photon Detectors
Abstract
Superconducting strip single-photon detectors (SSPDs) have emerged as scalable, wide-strip variants of traditional nanowire counterparts. Despite practical advantages including improved optical fill factors and enhanced signal-to-noise ratios the fundamental detection physics governing these micro-scale geometries remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the underlying photoresponse of a 20 um-wide tungsten silicide SSPD, demonstrating a slew-rate-corrected timing jitter of 13.2 ps at 532 nm and 20.5 ps at 1550 nm, alongside saturated internal detection efficiency up to 1550 nm. Using focused free-space optical scanning, we reveal that detector timing jitter is strongly influenced by a spatially dependent slew rate between edge and center absorption events. To mitigate this impact, we utilize a parallel superconducting rail architecture to actively redistribute supercurrent. This in-situ tuning minimizes the latency mismatch and mitigates thermally activated intrinsic dark counts, extending the device's ability to operate at higher temperatures. Finally, comparing these dynamics with time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) modeling elucidates the physical origins of the position-dependent photoresponse, highlighting how superconducting rails or specialized readout electronics can mitigate negative impacts on timing jitter.
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BibTeX
@misc{patel2026characterization,
title = {{Characterization and Active Control of Position-Dependent Timing Dynamics in Superconducting Strip Single-Photon Detectors}},
author = {Sahil R. Patel and Kristen M. Parzuchowski and Eli Mueller and Boris Korzh and Emanuel Knehr and Adam N. McCaughan and Martin J. Stevens and Matthew D. Shaw and Jason P. Allmaras},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.28897},
eprint = {2609.28897},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28897},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Characterization and Active Control of Position-Dependent Timing Dynamics in Superconducting Strip Single-Photon Detectors
AU - Sahil R. Patel
AU - Kristen M. Parzuchowski
AU - Eli Mueller
AU - Boris Korzh
AU - Emanuel Knehr
AU - Adam N. McCaughan
AU - Martin J. Stevens
AU - Matthew D. Shaw
AU - Jason P. Allmaras
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28897
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28897
AB - Superconducting strip single-photon detectors (SSPDs) have emerged as scalable, wide-strip variants of traditional nanowire counterparts. Despite practical advantages including improved optical fill factors and enhanced signal-to-noise ratios the fundamental detection physics governing these micro-scale geometries remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the underlying photoresponse of a 20 um-wide tungsten silicide SSPD, demonstrating a slew-rate-corrected timing jitter of 13.2 ps at 532 nm and 20.5 ps at 1550 nm, alongside saturated internal detection efficiency up to 1550 nm. Using focused free-space optical scanning, we reveal that detector timing jitter is strongly influenced by a spatially dependent slew rate between edge and center absorption events. To mitigate this impact, we utilize a parallel superconducting rail architecture to actively redistribute supercurrent. This in-situ tuning minimizes the latency mismatch and mitigates thermally activated intrinsic dark counts, extending the device's ability to operate at higher temperatures. Finally, comparing these dynamics with time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) modeling elucidates the physical origins of the position-dependent photoresponse, highlighting how superconducting rails or specialized readout electronics can mitigate negative impacts on timing jitter.
ER -