Nat. Nanotechnol. https://doi.org/c35b (2019)

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors offer impressive detection capabilities but applications are limited by their temperature of operation. Now, scientists from Canada and The Netherlands have shown that an array of tapered InP nanowires can offer high-efficiency, broadband and high-speed photodetection without the need for cryogenic cooling. The InP nanowire detectors operate over a 500-nm spectral bandwidth, spanning the ultraviolet to near-infrared, with an external quantum efficiency >85% and a gain of 105. Furthermore, they offer a timing jitter of <20 ps. The nanowires were fabricated by first growing planar layers of n- and p-doped InP using metal–organic vapour phase epitaxy. Next, nanoimprint lithography and reactive ion etching were used to produce cone-shape structures 1.6 μm high with a top diameter of 150 nm and a bottom diameter of 350 nm. Finally, electrode layers of indium tin oxide and Ti/Au were added to form a transparent top contact and a metal bottom contact.