Mid-infrared sensitive superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs)
Published: 9 September 2026
Nidhi Choudhary, supported by Professor Robert Hadfield, is completing work in the JWNC on single photon detectors used in LiDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging).
Nidhi Choudhary is working in the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), using the cryogenic system to investigate detector performance in extreme low-temperature conditions. Sensitive superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) are highly sensitive single photon detectors.
While the device is tested in the ARC, the single photon detector is fabricated in the JWNC. To fabricate these detectors, sputtering or atomic layer deposition is required, then fabrication using electron beam lithography. Further lithography is completed, then SEM tools are used to inspect.
These single-photon detectors are used in LiDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging). LiDAR is a method for determining ranges by targeting an object or a surface using laser light and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the optical receiver. LiDAR is commonly used to make high-resolution maps, with applications in a range of fields relating to mapping and geography.
First published: 9 September 2026