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High-efficiency microwave photodetection by cavity-coupled double quantum dots with single-cavity-photon sensitivity

Subhomoy Haldar1,2,*, Harald Havir1, Waqar Khan1,3, Drilon Zenelaj4, Patrick P. Potts5, Sebastian Lehmann1, Kimberly A. Dick1,6, Peter Samuelsson4, and Ville F. Maisi1,†

  • 1NanoLund and Solid State Physics, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
  • 2Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
  • 3Presently at Low Noise Factory AB, 41263 Göteborg, Sweden
  • 4NanoLund and Mathematical Physics, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
  • 5Department of Physics and Swiss Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
  • 6Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden

  • *Contact author: shaldar@iitk.ac.in
  • †Contact author: ville.maisi@ftf.lth.se
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 044074 – Published 23 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jlxt-19h9

Abstract

We present a superconducting cavity-coupled double quantum dot (DQD) photodiode that achieves a maximum photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 25% in the microwave domain. With a higher-quality-factor cavity and improved device design to prevent photon leakages through unwanted pathways, our device measures microwave signals down to the 100-aW power level and achieves sensitivity to probe microwave signals with one photon at a time in the cavity. We analyze the photodiode operation using the Jaynes-Cummings input-output theory, identifying the key improvements of stronger cavity-DQD coupling needed to achieve near-unity photodetection efficiency. The results presented in this work represent a crucial advancement toward near-unity microwave photodetection efficiency with single-cavity-photon sensitivity.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 044074– Published 23 October, 2025
  • Received 5 June 2024
  • Revised 3 September 2025
  • Accepted 29 September 2025
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