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Sine wave gating silicon single-photon detectors for multiphoton entanglement experiments
Nan Zhou1, Wen-Hao Jiang1, Luo-Kan Chen1
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China and CAS Center for Excellence and Synergetic Innovation Center in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
High-frequency sine wave gating enhances silicon single-photon detectors (SPDs), boosting detection efficiency for multiphoton entanglement experiments. This advancement increases four-photon coincidence rates without compromising entanglement visibility.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Solid-state physics
- Photonics
Background:
- Silicon single-photon detectors (SPDs) are crucial for detecting single photons in the visible spectrum.
- Current SPDs face limitations in detection efficiency, impacting advanced quantum experiments.
- Multiphoton entanglement generation requires highly efficient and reliable single-photon detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop high detection efficiency silicon SPDs for multiphoton entanglement generation.
- To improve the performance of silicon single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) components.
- To investigate the application of sine wave gating for enhanced SPD performance.
Main Methods:
- Disassembling commercial single-photon counting modules (SPCMs) to obtain SPAD components.
- Implementing new quenching electronics with high-frequency sine wave gating.
- Characterizing SPD performance at a wavelength of 785 nm.
- Applying the enhanced SPDs in a four-photon entanglement experiment.
Main Results:
- Average detection efficiency of SPDs increased from 68.6% to 73.1% at 785 nm.
- The new sine wave gating technique significantly improved SPD performance.
- Four-photon coincidence count rate in entanglement experiments increased by 30%.
- Entanglement visibility was maintained without degradation compared to original SPCMs.
Conclusions:
- High-frequency sine wave gating is an effective technique for enhancing silicon SPD performance.
- The developed SPDs are suitable for demanding applications like multiphoton entanglement generation.
- This work offers a pathway to more robust and efficient quantum information processing technologies.
