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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
RSFQ circuits designed at Hypres and fabricated at MIT-LL will be interfaced to SNSPDs and the performance evaluated. RSFQ circuits will consist of an edge detect circuit and a time-to-digital converter operating at 1 - 4 K
Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) must be scaled to kilopixel arrays for a future optical DSN or for space telescope applications such as OST, but routing thousands of lines for room-temperature readout is a challenge. This task seeks to experimentally investigate the use of superconducting readout circuits based on Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) as a route toward large-format SNSPD arrays hybridized with superconducting ROICs. Readout technology is the limiting factor for scaling SNSPD arrays. This task seeks to identify readout approaches based on superconducting electronics to eliminate the need for independently wiring each detector out of the cryostat, potentially enabling kilopixel arrays and larger (current max is 64 pixels) for optical communication and astronomy, specifically mid-infrared astronomy and dark matter searches.
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