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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A 32-Channel Cryo-CMOS ASIC for SNSPD Biasing and Readout with Picosecond

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) are a promising technology for particle detection. Although SNSPDs have demonstrated picosecond timing accuracy, scaling up large arrays has proved challenging. In this work, we introduce a 32-channel cryo-CMOS application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that can be tightly integrated with SNSPD arrays. The ASIC is designed to operate at a temperature of 4K and can perform up to 32 simultaneous timing measurements with a root-mean-square (RMS) accuracy of 8.0ps. The ASIC includes on-chip circuitry for externally biasing superconducting devices, low-noise amplifiers for reading superconducting devices, high-resolution time-to-digital converters (TDC) for time-tagging events, and serializers for transmitting data to room-temperature electronics. The ASIC is manufactured in a 22nm FDSOI process and occupies an area of 4.0mm x 1.0mm. The performance of the ASIC was verified using custom cryogenic device models internally developed for the 22nm SOI process. Measurement results will be presented at the conference.

Fredenburg, Jeff↗
DOE OSTI2024

A 32-Channel Cryo-CMOS ASIC for SNSPD Biasing and Readout with Picosecond Timing

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) are a promising technology for particle detection. Although SNSPDs have demonstrated picosecond timing accuracy, scaling up large arrays has proved challenging. In this work, we introduce a 32-channel cryo-CMOS application-specifc integrated circuit (ASIC) that can be tightly integrated with SNSPD arrays. The ASIC is designed to operate at a temperature of 4K and can perform up to 32 simultaneous timing measurements with a root-mean-square (RMS) accuracy of 8.0ps. The ASIC includes on-chip circuitry for externally biasing superconducting devices, low-noise amplifers for reading superconducting devices, high-resolution time-to-digital converters (TDC) for time-tagging events, and serializers for transmitting data to room-temperature electronics. The ASIC is manufactured in a 22nm FDSOI process and occupies an area of 4.0mm x 1.0mm. The performance of the ASIC was verifed using custom cryogenic device models internally developed for the 22nm SOI process. Measurement results will be presented at the conference.

Fredenburg, Jeff↗
DOE OSTI2024

Focusing Optics for Axion Detection: Simulating Sensing Enhancements of Photons in InfraBREAD

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) will search for axions, a promising particle candidate for dark matter, in the high mass range of [$10^{-3}$,1]eV. BREAD acts like a telescope for dark matter, using a parabolic reflector to direct axion-induced photons onto a precise focal spot. InfraBREAD is the experimental version designed to detect photons resulting from axions with infrared frequency using a 1mm × 1mm Superconducting Nanowire Singe Photon Detector (SNSPD). However, at this frequency scale two problems arise: 1) the focal spot becomes smeared across an area larger than the size of the SNSPD detector; 2) any millimeter-scale misalignment shifts in the SNSPD can greatly diminish photon signal. This study performed simulations of novel optical configurations of lenses and reflectors placed around the SNSPD to achieve a greater efficiency than the SNSPD alone through both of these effects. One optical setup was identified called the “Parabolo id to Winston Cone (PTW) Configuration,” which exploits the optics of parabolic reflectors to focus incoming photons from the larger area of the smeared focal spot onto the smaller 1mm 2 area of the detector. The PTW configuration demonstrated overall improvements in efficiency by around 10% through misalignment shifts, with a maximal improvement of 55% in one region.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting NbN Nanowire Single Photon Detectors

This viewgraph presentation describes the fabrication of large area superconducting Niobium Nitride nanowire single photon detectors. The topics include: 1) Introduction and Motivation; 2) Operation of SNSPD Detectors; 3) NbTiN Deposition; 4) Fabrication Details; 5) Backside Coupled SNSPD; 6) Measurement Apparatus; 7) Electrical Response of a 15x15 micrometer SNSPD to 1064nm radiation; 8) Detector Efficiency vs Bias Current; 9) Interarrival Time Plot; 10) Detector Linearity; and 11) Conclusion.

single proton dectectors↗
DOE OSTI2022

Impedance matched superconducting nanowire photodetector for single- and multi-photon detection

Conventional readout of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) sets an upper bound on the output voltage to be the product of the bias current and the load impedance, IB×Zload, where Zload is limited to 50Ω in standard RF electronics. This limit is broken/exceeded by interfacing the 50Ω load and the SNSPD using an integrated superconducting transmission line taper. The taper is a transformer that effectively loads the SNSPD with high impedance without latching. The taper increases the amplitude of the detector output while preserving the fast rising edge. Using a taper with a starting width of 500 nm, a 3.6× higher pulse amplitude, 3.7× faster slew rate, and 25.1 ps smaller timing jitter was observed. The taper also makes the detector's output voltage sensitive to the number of photon-induced hotspots and enables photon number resolution.

Zhu, Di↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling and Proof-of-Concept of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing collaboration searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, a pilot experiment realization of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD coaxial reflector setup allows for the focusing of converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within $\SI{50}{\micro\metre}$ in the axial dimension. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the blackbody photon source used in this calibration must be at a temperature of at least $\SI{15}{\kelvin}$ to $\SI{40}{\kelvin}$, depending on the sensitivity of the SNSPD.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector enhanced near-infrared II portable confocal microscopy for tissue imaging with indocyanine green

In this Letter a novel, to our knowledge, approach for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence portable confocal microscopy is introduced, aiming to enhance fluorescence imaging of biological samples in the NIR-II window. By integrating a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) into a confocal microscopy, we have significantly leveraged the detection efficiency of the NIR-II fluorescence signal from indocyanine green (ICG), an FDA-approved dye known for its NIR-II fluorescence capabilities. The SNSPD, characterized by its extremely low dark count rate and optimized NIR system detection efficiency, enables the excitation of ICG with 1 mW and the capture of low-light fluorescence signals from deep regions (up to 512 µm). Consequently, our technique was able to produce high-resolution images of bio samples with a superior signal-to-noise ratio, making a substantial advancement in the field of fluorescence microscopy and offering a promising opportunity for future clinical study.

Liu, Yifan (ORCID:0000000328877704)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Refinement and Modeling of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing experiment searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, a sub-experiment of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD reflector setup allows for the focusing of all converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within 50 $\mu$m in three dimensions.

Rao, Shardul↗
NASA NTRS2021

A High Dynamic-Range Photon-Counting Receiver for Deep Space Optical Communication

The Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) project will demonstrate free-space optical communication at almost 3 AU, or 3 orders of magnitude further than any previous attempt. DSOC will utilize the 5m Palomar Hale Telescope to receive the downlink signal, which will couple the downlink light onto an optical table and into a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD). The output of the SNSPD is digitized by the Ground Laser Receiver Signal Processing Assembly (GSPA) using a high throughput streaming time to digital converter (TDC). The GSPA is a scalable FPGA-based receiver which demodulates and decodes the DSOC downlink signal through novel signal processing algorithms implemented on Xilinx UltraScale+ FPGAs, as well as Python-based software monitor and control routines. Exploiting the unique TDC-based architecture, the GSPA supports over four orders of magnitude of downlink data rates across multiple orders of magnitude of signal and background powers. In this paper we present an overview of the hardware, firmware and software architectures to implement this system, as well as performance analysis for links ranging from near-Earth to 2.8 AU.

Srinivasan, Meera↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Real-Time Optical Ground Receiver for Photon Starved Environments

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed a photon-counting optical ground receiver for pulse-position modulated signals. The real-time receiver system includes a fiber interconnect, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), and a real-time field programmable gate array (FPGA) based receiver. The fiber interconnect and SNSPDs are implemented with two different configurations. In the first, a 7-channel few-mode fiber photonic lantern couples the light from the telescope to 7 single-pixel few-mode fiber coupled SNSPDs. In the second configuration, a few-mode fiber couples light to a 16-pixel monolithic SNSPD array. The real-time FPGA-based receiver performs combining of up to 16 SNSPD channels, symbol timing recovery, demodulation, and decoding. The system is scalable with data rates ranging from 20 Mbps to 267 Mbps. It is compliant with the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization Standard. This standard will be used in NASA deep space and other low photon flux missions, such as in the Orion Artemis-2 Optical Communications System (O2O) demonstration, planned for the first crewed flight of Orion. This paper describes the scalable real-time optical receiver system and presents characterization test results.

optical communications↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Real-Time Optical Ground Receiver for Photon Starved Environments

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed a photon-counting optical ground receiver for pulse-position modulated signals. The real-time receiver system includes a fiber interconnect, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), and a real-time field programmable gate array (FPGA) based receiver. The fiber interconnect and SNSPDs are implemented with two different configurations. In the first, a 7-channel few-mode fiber photonic lantern couples the light from the telescope to 7 single-pixel few-mode fiber coupled SNSPDs. In the second configuration, a few-mode fiber couples light to a 16-pixel monolithic SNSPD array. The real-time FPGA-based receiver performs combining of up to 16 SNSPD channels, symbol timing recovery, demodulation, and decoding. The system is scalable with data rates ranging from 20 Mbps to 267 Mbps. It is compliant with the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization Standard. This standard will be used in NASA deep space and other low photon flux missions, such as in the Orion Artemis-2 Optical Communications System (O2O) demonstration, planned for the first crewed flight of Orion. This paper describes the scalable real-time optical receiver system and presents characterization test results.

optical communications↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Fiber-Detector Subsystem Loss Comparison for A Ground-Based Photon-Counting Optical Receiver

In this paper we present a comparative study of the losses associated with fiber-coupled single-photon detectors in two different configurations, each with the goal of receiving a pulsed-position modulated signal with a maximum data rate of 267 Mbps. First, we consider a 7x1 few-mode-fiber (FMF) photonic lantern coupled to seven individual superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). In the second configuration we assess a single FMF coupled to a 16-channel monolithic SNSPD array. In each case we measure and compare combined fiber coupling, SNSPD blocking, and system efficiency losses under emulated atmospheric turbulence conditions. We address subsystem impact on link performance and analyze feasibility for future NASA lunar and deep-space optical communications missions.

Fiber optics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Fiber-Detector Subsystem Loss Comparison for A Ground-Based Photon-Counting Optical Receiver

A comparative study of the losses associated with fiber-coupled single-photon detectors in two different configurations, each with the goal of receiving a pulsed-position modulated signal with a maximum data rate of 267 Mbps. First, we consider a 7x1 few-mode-fiber (FMF) photonic lantern coupled to seven individual superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). In the second configuration we assess a single FMF coupled to a 16-channel monolithic SNSPD array. In each case we measure and compare combined fiber coupling, SNSPD blocking, and system efficiency losses under emulated atmospheric turbulence conditions. We address subsystem impact on link performance and analyze feasibility for future NASA lunar and deep-space optical communications missions.

Fiber optics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Testing of A Photon-Counting Optical Ground Receiver With Emulated Space-to-Ground Link Effects

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) developed and previously characterized a photon-counting optical ground receiver system. The receiver is compliant with the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization High Photon Efficiency (HPE) Standard. The standard will be used on the Optical Artemis-2 Orion (O2O) communications demonstration and the Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) project aboard the Psyche spacecraft. The receiver system consists of a fiber interconnect, up to sixteen superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based receive modem. Previously, the receiver system architecture was described and test results without emulated link effects were presented. SNSPD device properties, which impact detection jitter and time delay, can limit the receiver dynamic range, especially when operating with varying flux rates (>10 dB) between detectors. Codeword error-rate curves with and without simulated clock drifts attributed to Doppler shift and space transmitter clock differences are presented. Results with ±66 ppm clock differences show minimal performance impact (<0.2 dB). Test results show that the receiver dynamic range (>28 dB) is limited by changing SNSPD detection delays at high photon flux rates.

optical communications↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Testing of A Photon-Counting Optical Ground Receiver With Emulated Space-to-Ground Link Effects

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) developed and previously characterized a photon-counting optical ground receiver system. The receiver is compliant with the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization High Photon Efficiency (HPE) Standard. The standard will be used on the Optical Artemis-2 Orion (O2O) communications demonstration and the Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) project aboard the Psyche spacecraft. The receiver system consists of a fiber interconnect, up to sixteen superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based receive modem. Previously, the receiver system architecture was described and test results without emulated link effects were presented. SNSPD device properties, which impact detection jitter and time delay, can limit the receiver dynamic range, especially when operating with varying flux rates (>10 dB) between detectors. Codeword error-rate curves with and without simulated clock drifts attributed to Doppler shift and space transmitter clock differences are presented. Results with ±66 ppm clock differences show minimal performance impact (<0.2 dB). Test results show that the receiver dynamic range (>28 dB) is limited by changing SNSPD detection delays at high photon flux rates.

optical communications↗