Single-photon detectors: new physical principles, circuits and applications

Single-photon detectors (SPDs), whose sensitivity can reach the minimum energy unit of light, are a cutting-edge photodetector technology that endows humans with the ability to obtain information from the basic unit level of photons and has greatly promoted the development of quantum information, astronomical observation, biological imaging, and other scientific technologies. The core of promoting SPD technologies is the development of high-performance single-photon devices, as well as the related fundamental physics, materials, readout circuits, and system integration, which require interdisciplinary research on applied physics, microelectronic technology, optoelectronic technology, and quantum metrology. This Special Topic aims to report the exciting recent advances and emerging topics in superconductor/semiconductor-based SPD technologies, ranging from fundamental science and advanced techniques to practical applications. The advances should be of broad interest to the photonics community.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

Guest Editors

Labao Zhang, Nanjing University

Qianqian Lin, Wuhan University

Federica Villa, Politecnico di Milano