A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

December 7, 2016

Single Photon Detection:

Technologies & Applications

Emna AMRI

R&D Engineer at IDQ and PhD Student at GAP, Geneva University.

A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

1. Personal background history

2. Project overview (WP2: Materials for security)

3. Scientific concepts

4. Analysis and Results

Outline

5. Acquired skills

6. Scientific output

7. Future work

8. Conclusion

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Preparatory Institute:

IPEST la Marsa

Tunis (2010-2012):

• General Physics and Math.

• Engineering sciences.

1. Personal background history:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

National Polytechnic Institute of

Grenoble (INPG-Phelma)-France

• Quantum and solid states physics.

• Nanostructures for optical applications

• Advanced Microscopy.

1. Personal background history:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

National Polytechnic Institute of

Grenoble (INPG-Phelma)-France

• Quantum and solid states physics

• Nanostructures for optical applications

• Advanced Microscopy

Bachelor Degree in Physics and

Engineering sciences

1. Personal background history:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Politecnico Di Torino(Polito)

Italy (2012-2013)

• Clean room process (IC design

flow).

• Materials and design for

microsystems

1. Personal background history:

3

A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de

Lausanne (EPFL) Switzerland:

(2014-2015)

• Analog and Digital IC design.

• Laser: theory and modern

applications.

1. Personal background history:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

1. Personal background history:

Master degree: « Micro and Nanotechnologies for Integrated Systems »

Tri-diploma international program

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Ph.D. in Group of Applied

Physics of Geneva University

Hardware Research Engineer

in ID Quantique- Geneva.

1. Personal background history:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Detectors characterization (time Jitter, Dark Count Rate, Afterpulsing…)

Single Photon Avalanche Diodes for QRNG and QKD.

Quanta Image Sensors for QRNG.

Company: ID Quantique the world leader in quantum-safe crypto solutions, Geneva-Switzerland.

University: GAP Quantum Technologies group, led by Prof. Hugo Zbinden.

2. Project overview (WP2: Materials for security)

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CMOS and InGaAs/InP Single Photon Detectors for optical instrumentation

and Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG)

Deliverables: Optical Detectors optimized for security applications (QRNG & QKD)

Lower time jitter, dark count rate and afterpulsing

Higher efficiency & detection rate.

A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

3. Concepts

InGaAs/InP

Single Photon

Avalanche Diode

Quantum Random

Number Generation

Sin

gle

Ph

oto

n d

etec

tion

A. T

echn

olo

gy

B. A

pp

lica

tio

n

Exploiting randomness in

photon emission process.

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Timing jitter= transit time of holes from AR to MR + Avalanche build-up time

Time distribution (TD)= TD with exponential tail * Gaussian TD

4.a. Temporal jitter in free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche detectors:

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

Fig. 3. (a)NFADs time jitter versus temperature for different

excess bias voltages. (c) Comparison of the FWHM jitter for four

devices at 1 V and 3.5 V excess bias.

Optimum operation obtained with NFADs having

𝑉𝑏𝑟𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛~ 67V @ -130°C

Low DCR + Low timing jitter at any Vexcess.

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

4.b. Quantum Random Number Generation:

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Achievements:

• An entropy/bit of 0.9 has been obtained for raw

data at room T for low bias voltage.

• Full integration of the SPADs matrix with the

light source and the digital blocks

(readout+extraction) under process.

Fig.5. Block diagram of the QRNG

Fig.6. Schematic of a “jot” structure

• Generating randomness using a CMOS image sensor

with single photon detection capability and

200𝒏𝒎𝟐 size pixels (jots).

• More then 5 Gbits/s of true random data throughput.

Achievements:

CMOS SPADs Matrix Quanta Image Sensor (QIS)

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

6. Scientific outputS

ingle

Photo

n d

etec

tion

Applicationfor security

Technologies InGaAs/InP single

photon detectors

Quanta Image Sensors (QIS)Quantum Random

Number Generation

CMOS SPADs MatrixA paper entitled “Temporal jitter in

free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon

avalanche detectors” is accepted for

publication in Optics Letters (OSA),

November 2016 (first author).A Poster was presented in DATE 2016

(Workshop on Trustworthy

Manufacturing and Utilization of

Secure Devices)Dresden, March 2016.

• A paper entitled “Quantum Random

Number Generation using a Quanta

Image Sensor” was published in

Sensors MDPI journal (Photon

counting image sensors special issue),

June 2016 (first author).

• A provisional patent is co-filed with

Pr. Eric Fossum about QIS utilization

for QRNG, June 2016 (first inventor).

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

5. Acquired skills:

• Laser theory and manipulation.

• Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC).

• Techniques for temporal jitter, efficiency, dark count rate and afterpulsing

measurements for optical detectors.

• Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR).

• Entropy estimation (theory and techniques).

• Randomness extraction (Mathematical tools).

• Statistical tests for randomness evaluation.

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

7. Future work:

Single photon detectors

• New technique to decrease the

Afterpulsing probability in InGaAs/InP

based NFADs.

• A secondment in the University of

Sheffield involving the design of

InGaAs SPADs is being discussed.

• Possibility of working on

Superconducting nanowire single-

photon detectors (SNSPDs).

QRNG

• Characterization of the fully integrated

chip (based on Si SPADs matrix) and

evaluation of the digital blocks effect on

randomness quality.

• Development of a mobile application for

Quantum Random Number Generation

using the mobile phone camera.

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A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Initial Training Network

Postgraduate Research on Dilute Metamorphic Nanostructures and Metamaterials in Semiconductor Photonics

8. Conclusion:

Progress:The project has been well progressing thanks to the collaboration of the engineers in

IDQ and the scientists in the GAP.

Personal experience:

• Half an Engineer Half a scientist Beneficial complementarity.

• Developing soft and hard skills .

• Completely satisfied with the PROMIS Experience.

Looking forward to constructive exchanges with other ESRs that

may lead to fruitful collaborations.

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