Reducing current crowding in meander superconducting strip single-photon detectors by thickening bends

Abstract To facilitate high optical coupling efficiency and absorptance, the active area of a superconducting nano/microstrip single-photon detector (SNSPD/SMSPD) is often designed as meander configuration with filling factor (e.g. ⩾0.5). However, switching current ( I sw ) SNSPD/SMSPD, at which switches into normal state, significantly suppressed by geometry-induced ‘current crowding effect’, where there are sharp bends in strip. Here, we propose experimentally verify an alternative method to reduce both SNSPD SMSPD directly increasing thickness through deposition lift-off secondary film. We measure compare performance SNSPDs SMSPDs different factors bend configurations, or without thickened bends. Improvements for detectors were observed detection efficiency, intrinsic dark count rate, time jitter, owing enhanced . Our provides promising way optimizing SNSPD/SMSPD performance.