Long-wavelength-pumped upconversion single-photon detector at 1550 nm: performance and noise analysis

• Published in: Optics express Vol. 19; no. 22; pp. 21445 - 21456
• Main Authors: Pelc, J S, Ma, L, Phillips, C R, Zhang, Q, Langrock, C, Slattery, O, Tang, X, Fejer, M M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 24-10-2011
• ISSN: 1094-4087; 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/oe.19.021445

We demonstrate upconversion-assisted single-photon detection for the 1.55-μm telecommunications band based on a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide pumped by a monolithic PPLN optical parametric oscillator. We achieve an internal conversion efficiency of 86%, which results in an overall system detection efficiency of 37%, with excess noise as low as 10(3) counts s(-1). We measure the dark count rate versus the upconversion pump-signal frequency separation and find the results to be consistent with noise photon generation by spontaneous anti-Stokes Raman scattering. These results enable detailed design guidelines for the development of low-noise quantum frequency conversion systems, which will be an important component of fiber-optic quantum networks.