Nature 381, 135 - 137 (09 May 1996); doi:10.1038/381135a0

Single optical photon detection with a superconducting tunnel junction

A. Peacock^*, P. Verhoeve^*, N. Rando^*, A. van Dordrecht^*, B. G. Taylor^*, C. Erd^*, M. A. C. Perryman^*, R. Venn^†, J. Howlett^†, D. J. Goldie^‡, J. Lumley^‡ & M. Wallis^‡

^*Astrophysics Division, Space Science Department of the European Space Agency, ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
^†Cambridge Microfab Ltd, Trollheim Cranes Lane, Kingston, Cambridge CB3 7NJ, UK
^‡Oxford Instruments Scientific Research Division, Newton House, Cambridge Business Park, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 4WZ, UK

THE charge-coupled device (CCD) has become the detector of choice in optical astronomy. CCDs provide a very linear response to detected photons, are very efficient at some wavelengths, and can now provide coverage of a relatively wide field of view^1–3. But they become quite inefficient with decreasing wavelength, and they lack intrinsic wavelength and time resolution. The only way to select specific wavelengths is to place filters in front of the detector, which makes the total system less efficient. Time resolution can be achieved only with short exposures, which are possible only with very bright sources. Here we report a superconducting device that can overcome these limitations, and which has performance characteristics far superior to existing photon counting systems^4–7. Our superconducting tunnel junction can detect individual photons at rates up to 2.5 kHz in the wavelength range 200–500 nm, with an intrinsic spectral resolution of 45 nm and a quantum efficiency estimated to be about 50 per cent. The theoretical resolution of the present device is 20 nm, but use of superconductors with lower transition temperature could improve that to 8 nm.

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