Superconductor-based light detection

The ability to detect a single photon could have powerful applications in high-precision object location and quantum information encryption. A superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is a promising solution that is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. While they are commercially available now, there is still some room for improvement of efficiency, particularly when a wider operational bandwidth is required, which could be achieved by improving the light absorption. This research presents finite-element-method-based simulations to enhance the absorption in superconducting thin films by utilizing plasmonic nanostructures with broadband absorption response.