Probing the hotspot interaction length in NbN nanowire superconducting single photon detectors

We measure the maximal distance at which two absorbed photons can jointly trigger a detection event in NbN nanowire superconducting single photon detector microbridges by comparing the one-photon and two-photon efficiencies of bridges of different overall lengths, from 0 to 400 nm. We find a length of 23 ± 2 nm. This value is in good agreement with the size of the quasiparticle cloud at the time of the detection event.Nanowire superconducting single photon detectors (SSPDs)1 are a crucial technology for a variety of applications.2 These devices consist of a thin superconducting film which detects photons when biased to a significant fraction of its critical current. Although details of the microscopic mechanism are still in dispute,3 the present understanding of this process in Niobium Nitride (NbN) SSPDs is as follows:4–13 after the absorption of a photon, a cloud of quasiparticles is created, which is known as a hotspot. This cloud diffuses, spreading out over some area of the wire. This causes the redistribution of bias current, which unbinds a vortex from the edge of the wire, if the applied bias current is such that the current for vortex entry is exceeded. The transition of a vortex across the wire creates a normal-state region, which grows under the influence of Joule heating from the bias current, leading to a voltage pulse and a detection event.14