Enhanced superconducting nanowire single-photon detector performances using silicon capping

Niobium titanium nitride-based superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) are known for their high performance across a wide spectral range, from the x-ray to the mid-infrared. Nonetheless, fabrication challenges and performance degradation attributable to surface oxidation and lack of uniformity in films thinner than 5 nm remain a significant barrier for achieving high-quality detectors. In this work, we study the influence of a silicon capping layer on film properties and on the performance of SNSPDs. A silicon capping layer effectively suppresses oxidation and increases the superconducting transition temperature. This enables superconductivity in films as thin as 3 nm at 3 K, increases critical current in patterned nanowires, and significantly extends the saturation plateau from the visible to the near infrared (up to 2050 nm): These detectors maintain sub-50 ps timing jitter, even for nanowires as wide as 250 nm and with detection areas of 20 × 20μm2. Our results establish that thinner films protected by a capping layer allow for the fabrication of wider wires, decreasing nanofabrication challenges and extending the operating temperature range for efficient single photon detection.