Photon number resolving detector with thermal diode
AssigneePsiquantum, Corp.
InventorsFaraz Najafi, Qiaodan Jin Stone, Andrea Bahgat Shehata
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Abstract
The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for fabricating and operating diodes. In one aspect, an electrical circuit includes: (1) a diode component having a particular energy band gap; (2) an electrical source electrically coupled to the diode component and configured to bias the diode component in a particular state; and (3) a heating component thermally coupled to a junction of the diode component and configured to selectively supply heat corresponding to the particular energy band gap.
Claims20
A photon number resolving detector comprising:
- a diode having a particular energy band gap;
- a plurality of heating components thermally coupled to a junction of the diode, the plurality of heating components comprising a first heating component and a second heating component, each heating component comprising a respective photon detector configured to generate heat that corresponds to the particular energy band gap in response to one or more respective incident photons;
- and
- a readout circuit to generate a first voltage in response the first heating component receiving an incident photon, and to generate a second voltage in response to the first heating component receiving the incident photon and the second heating component receiving an additional incident photon, the second voltage being higher than the first voltage.
A method comprising:
- maintaining a photon number resolving detector at a cryogenic temperature, the photon number resolving detector comprising a diode and a plurality of heating components that are thermally coupled to the diode, the diode having a particular energy band gap, the plurality of heating components comprising a first heating component and a second heating component, each heating component comprising a respective photon detector configured to generate heat that corresponds to the particular energy band gap;
- generating heat from the first heating component in response to the first heating component receiving an incident photon, the heat being coupled to the diode to increase voltage at a readout circuit;
- and
- generating a voltage on the readout circuit in response to the incident photon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.