Single Photon Detectors Based on SPADs: Circuit Solutions and Operating Modes

• Published in: Russian microelectronics 2021-03, Vol.50 (2), p.108-117
• Main Authors: Losev, A. V., Zavodilenko, V. V., Koziy, A. A., Kurochkin, Yu. V., Gorbatsevich, A. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Avalanche diodes; Circuits; Detectors; Electrical Engineering; Electronics; Engineering; Industrial development; Photodiodes; Photon avalanches; Photons; Quantum cryptography; Semiconductor devices
• ISSN: 1063-7397; 1608-3415
• DOI: 10.1134/S1063739721010078

Single photon detectors (SPDs) are the most sensitive devices for detecting light. The rapid development of quantum communication over the past decades have given rise to the development of a cheap and miniature SPD device. Its core consists of a single-photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD), a specially designed semiconductor device that is sensitive to single-photon radiation. Both at the dawn of the development of semiconductor SPDs and nowadays, the SPAD control electronics occupies a special place. In this review, we present technological advances in the development of control electronics for semiconductor SPDs, which operate at a telecommunication wavelength and allow achieving various detrctor’s operation modes: low-frequency and high-frequency gating and a freerun mode. The results of the study of various scientific groups in the field of quantum key distribution, which allows tracing the trends of the world technological development of this industry, from ten km on the ground to communication with satellites, are demonstrated.