STTR Phase I: Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Cameras for Time-Resolved Quantum Imaging

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be to have a transformative impact on time-correlated imaging applications in a variety of fields, including quantum information science, biomedical imaging, and remote sensing, by offering order-of-magnitude improvements in dark count rates and time resolution over comparably sized photon counting cameras, while opening the prospect for efficient time-correlated imaging in previously inaccessible wavelength regimes, such as the UV from 200-400 nm, and the mid-infrared from 1.8-10 um. With the introduction of these performance advantages to the field of time-correlated imaging, new classes of experiments will become possible, enabling further penetration into the quantum information market and the introduction of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to previously inaccessible markets including biomedical imaging and remote sensing. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate the viability of a new multiplexing technique enabling large-format kilopixel superconducting nanowire single photon detector focal plane arrays and evaluate its viability for commercial production. This will require the development of new device fabrication processes, detector designs, test procedures, and device models while leveraging previous successful technology development efforts. The primary technical challenges that will be addressed include demonstrating high-yield device fabrication, investigating and mitigating the role of crosstalk between pixels, and validating the scalability and practicality of the readout scheme. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.