Two Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) for Quantum Networking Metrology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with Quantum Opus, LLC, for the procurement of two Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) for Quantum Networking Metrology. The SNSPDs will be installed in existing cryostats and will serve to detect 795 nm photons from a Rubidium vapor source, ultimately allowing entanglement swapping demonstrations in the Washington Metropolitan Quantum Network Research Consortium (DC-Qnet). The technical specifications for the SNSPDs include operating and plateauing at a cryostat temperature of 2.2 K, system detection efficiency of at least 90% at 780 nm, dark count rates less than 100/sec, and timing jitter of less than 20 ps full-width-half-maximum (FWHM). • The SNSPDs must be fiber coupled 780HP fiber with E2000 connector. • The existing cryostats shall be upgraded with the latest Biasing and Amplification electronics to optimize integration with the 2 SNSPDs. • The SNSPDs will be used for quantum networking measurement capabilities with the DC-QNet and other collaborative efforts. • The sole source determination is based on the requirement for continuity of science and compatibility with existing equipment and previous research results.