Photon counting in the 1540-nm wavelength region with a germanium avalanche photodiode

Unexpected results have been obtained in measurements of dark-count rate and quantum efficiency (QE) for a germanium avalanche photodiode operating in the photon counting regime at 1540-nm wavelength. A liquid-nitrogen cooled Ge single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) exhibited both a low dark-count ra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of quantum electronics 2001-01, Vol.37 (1), p.75-79
Main Authors: Duraffourg, L., Merolla, J.-M., Goedgebuer, J.-P., Butterlin, N., Rhodes, W.T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Avalanche photodiodes
Avalanches
Cooling
Counting
Cryptography
Devices
Diodes
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Germanium
Indium gallium arsenide
Laboratories
Optoelectronic devices
Performance evaluation
Photodiodes
Photons
Quantum efficiency
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Silicon
Wavelength measurement
Wavelengths
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Summary:Unexpected results have been obtained in measurements of dark-count rate and quantum efficiency (QE) for a germanium avalanche photodiode operating in the photon counting regime at 1540-nm wavelength. A liquid-nitrogen cooled Ge single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) exhibited both a low dark-count rate and a QE of the order of 1%, which is at least one order of magnitude higher than the values reported for such a device. The data offer hope for future diodes that might match such performance. Reasons for the device's extraordinarily good performance, a performance level not matched by the other 17 APDs in the collection investigated, are not understood. Such high quantum efficiency germanium devices could be used in one-bit-per-photon communication systems operating in the 1540-nm telecommunications window.
ISSN:0018-9197
1558-1713
DOI:10.1109/3.892727