US 12,249,641 B1
Photon number resolving detector with thermal diode
Faraz Najafi, Palo Alto, CA (US); Qiaodan Jin Stone, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Andrea Bahgat Shehata, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to PSIQUANTUM CORP., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by PsiQuantum Corp, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/383,009.
Application 18/383,009 is a continuation of application No. 17/705,201, filed on Mar. 25, 2022, granted, now 11,799,020.
Application 17/705,201 is a continuation of application No. 16/773,921, filed on Jan. 27, 2020, granted, now 11,289,590, issued on Mar. 29, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/798,983, filed on Jan. 30, 2019.
Int. Cl. H01L 29/66 (2006.01); H01L 23/34 (2006.01); H01L 29/861 (2006.01); H01L 29/868 (2006.01); H01L 31/09 (2006.01); H01L 31/107 (2006.01); H10N 60/30 (2023.01); H10N 69/00 (2023.01)
CPC H01L 29/66992 (2013.01) [H01L 23/345 (2013.01); H01L 29/861 (2013.01); H01L 29/868 (2013.01); H01L 31/09 (2013.01); H01L 31/107 (2013.01); H10N 60/30 (2023.02); H10N 69/00 (2023.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photon number resolving detector comprising:
a diode having a particular energy band gap;
a plurality of heating components thermally coupled to a junction of the diode, the plurality of heating components comprising a first heating component and a second heating component, each heating component comprising a respective photon detector configured to generate heat that corresponds to the particular energy band gap in response to one or more respective incident photons; and
a readout circuit to generate a first voltage in response the first heating component receiving an incident photon, and to generate a second voltage in response to the first heating component receiving the incident photon and the second heating component receiving an additional incident photon, the second voltage being higher than the first voltage.