Broadband ultrafast superconducting NbN detector for electromagnetic radiation

An ultrafast detector that is sensitive to radiation in a broad spectral range from submillimeter waves to visible light is reported. It consists of a structured NbN thin film cooled to a temperature below Tc (∼11 K). Using 20 ps pulses of a GaAs laser, we observed signal pulses with both rise and d...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 1994-04, Vol.75 (7), p.3695-3697
Main Authors: Gousev, Yu. P., Gol’tsman, G. N., Semenov, A. D., Gershenzon, E. M., Nebosis, R. S., Heusinger, M. A., Renk, K. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An ultrafast detector that is sensitive to radiation in a broad spectral range from submillimeter waves to visible light is reported. It consists of a structured NbN thin film cooled to a temperature below Tc (∼11 K). Using 20 ps pulses of a GaAs laser, we observed signal pulses with both rise and decay time of about 50 ps. From the analysis of a mixing experiment with submillimeter radiation we estimate an intrinsic response time of the detector of ∼12 ps. The sensitivity was found to be similar for the near-infrared and submillimeter radiation. Broadband sensitivity and short response time are attributed to a quasiparticle heating effect.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.356060