Abstract

The authors report on the full implementation of a superconducting detector technology in a fiber-based quantum key distribution (QKD) link. Nanowire-based superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) offer infrared single-photon detection with low dark counts, low jitter, and short recovery times. These detectors are highly promising candidates for future high key rate QKD links operating at 1550 nm⁠. The authors use twin SSPDs to perform the BB84 protocol in a 1550 nm fiber-based QKD link clocked at 3.3 MHz⁠. They exchange secure key over a distance of 42.5 km in telecom fiber and demonstrate that secure key can be transmitted over a total link loss exceeding 12 dB⁠.

Date

2006

Authors

Robert H Hadfield, Jonathan L Habif, John Schlafer, Robert E Schwall, Sae Woo Nam

Journal

Applied physics letters

Volume

89

Issue

24

Publisher

AIP Publishing