X-rays operation of a thin film NbVN superconducting-strip particle detector

Using a current biased 2 ?m wide, thin film (Nb0.8V0.2)N superconducting strip operated at 1.4 K, we were able to detect voltage pulses due to the superconducting to normal transition induced by a 55Fe 6 keV X-rays source. At high bias currents the estimated counting efficiency was close to 60%. The detector performance and its potential application for X-rays and minimum ionizing particles detection are discussed in the framework of the recent literature on the subject.