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This research introduces tungsten germanide-based superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) that achieve saturated detection efficiency at mid-infrared wavelengths up to 29 µm, overcoming previous material limitations in this spectral range. By utilizing thicker films and wider nanowires compatible with large-scale fabrication, the study significantly advances scalable quantum sensing capabilities for critical applications like exoplanet spectroscopy and molecular fingerprinting.
Tungsten Germanide Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors with Saturated Internal Detection Efficiency at Wavelengths up to 29 {\mu}m
arXiv:2511.20868v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are among the most sensitive single-photon detectors available and have the potential to transform fields ranging from infrared astrophysics to molecular spectroscopy. However, extending their performance into the mid-infrared spectral region - crucial for applications such as exoplanet transit spectroscopy and vibrational fingerprinting of molecules - has remained a major challenge, primarily due to material limitations and scalability constraints. Here, we report on the development of SNSPDs based on tungsten germanide, a novel material system that combines high mid-infrared sensitivity with compatibility for large-scale fabrication. Our detectors exhibit saturated internal detection efficiency at wavelengths up to 29 {\mu}m, while using 2.7x thicker films (8 nm vs 3 nm) and up to 4.5x wider nanowires (360 nm vs 80 nm) compared to mid-infrared-optimized SNSPDs fabricated from tungsten silicide. This advance will enable scalable, high-performance single-photon detection in a spectral region that was previously inaccessible, opening new frontiers in remote sensing, thermal imaging, environmental monitoring, molecular physics, and astronomy.
Authors:Benedikt Hampel, Daniel Kuznesof, Andrew S. Mueller, Sahil R. Patel, Robert H. Hadfield, Emma E. Wollman, Matthew D. Shaw, Dirk Schwarzer, Alec M. Wodtke, Khalid Hossain, Allison V. Mis, Alexana Roshko, Richard P. Mirin, Sae Woo Nam, Martin J. Stevens, Varun B. Verma
Abstract:Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are among the most sensitive single-photon detectors available and have the potential to transform fields ranging from infrared astrophysics to molecular spectroscopy. However, extending their performance into the mid-infrared spectral region - crucial for applications such as exoplanet transit spectroscopy and vibrational fingerprinting of molecules - has remained a major challenge, primarily due to material limitations and scalability constraints. Here, we report on the development of SNSPDs based on tungsten germanide, a novel material system that combines high mid-infrared sensitivity with compatibility for large-scale fabrication. Our detectors exhibit saturated internal detection efficiency at wavelengths up to 29 {\mu}m, while using 2.7x thicker films (8 nm vs 3 nm) and up to 4.5x wider nanowires (360 nm vs 80 nm) compared to mid-infrared-optimized SNSPDs fabricated from tungsten silicide. This advance will enable scalable, high-performance single-photon detection in a spectral region that was previously inaccessible, opening new frontiers in remote sensing, thermal imaging, environmental monitoring, molecular physics, and astronomy.
8 pages, 6 figures, Published in APL Photonics 11(6): 066112 (2026) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0331641)
Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det); Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con); Applied Physics (physics.app-ph); Optics (physics.optics); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
arXiv:2511.20868 [physics.ins-det]
(or arXiv:2511.20868v2 [physics.ins-det] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0331641 DOI(s) linking to related resources
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