Project Details
Description
This project aims to develop microwave photon detectors using semiconductor-superconductor hybrid systems. Microwave photon contains four to five orders of magnitude smaller energy as compared to a visible photon, which makes it very difficult to detect them by the excitation of electrons across the bandgap of a semiconductor. In this project, the detuning between the energy levels of two coupled quantum dots is controlled by applying plunger gate voltages. A microwave photon is then absorbed when the energy detuning matches with the energy of the incident photon. In this process, an electron is kicked out from one dot to the other resulting a photocurrent in the system. Combining a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator in close vicinity of the double-quantum dot system, we achieved a maximum photodetection efficiency of ~ 24 %. The new generation of the photodiode having one port resonator geometry and a lower photon loss rate shows a factor of four times enhancement in efficiency as compared to the previous results obtained in our group (Nat. Commun. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25446-1). We also realize continious single photon counting using the same semiconductor superconductor hybrids. We also focus on looking at the energetics aspects of the photoconversion process by determining the stopping potential of the microwave signals with a bias voltage applied against the photocurrent.
Popular science description
Here we aim to understand the interactions of microwave photons with semiconductor quantum dots at most fundamental level that can enable single photon detection.
Short title | Microwave photo-detectors |
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Status | Not started |
Collaborative partners
- Lund University (lead)
- University of Basel
Free keywords
- Microwave detector
- Semiconductor-superconductor hybrids
- Nanowire devices