We demonstrate superconducting nanowire single photon detectors with 76 +/- 4 % system detection efficiency at a wavelength of 315 nm and an operating temperature of 3.2 K, with a background count rate below 1 count per second at saturated detection efficiency. We propose integrating these detectors into planar surface electrode radio-frequency Paul traps for use in trapped ion quantum information processing. We operate detectors integrated into test ion trap structures at 3.8 K both with and without typical radio-frequency trapping electric fields. The trapping fields reduce system detection efficiency by 9 %, but do not increase background count rates.
@article{arxiv.1611.09949,
title = {UV-sensitive superconducting nanowire single photon detectors for integration in an ion trap},
author = {D. H. Slichter and V. B. Verma and D. Leibfried and R. P. Mirin and S. W. Nam and D. J. Wineland},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1611.09949},
year = {2017}
}