Thesis presented May 18, 2011

Abstract:
This work presents the realization of a SWIFTS (Stationary Wave Integrated Fourier Transform Spectrometer) micro-spectrometer with SNSPD (Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector) photon counters. The device features an integrated interferometer made of a SiN loop ridge-waveguide, with an array of 24 NbN-nanowire SNSPD underneath that samples at a 160nm period the interferogram of a laser light, at a wavelength centered on 1.55µm. The conception, preliminary studies of integrated optics and electronics, fabrication and characterization at 4.2K of the final device are described, in particular the observation of the detected signal modulation in the waveguide in agreement with the expected interference formation. The SWIFTS-SNSPD constitutes the first stand-alone, fully integrated superconducting optoelectronic device. Its unique capability of direct sampling of light interferogram opens numerous perspectives, with possible applications ranging from astrophysics to telecommunications.

Keywords:
Superconducting Photon Counter, NbN SNSPD, Cooled Integrated Optoelectronics, Superconducting Integrated Devices, Fourier Transform Spectrometer

On-line thesis.