InGaAsP/InP single photon avalanche diodes with ultra-high photon detection efficiency

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) can detect extremely weak optical signals and are mostly used in single-photon imaging, quantum communication, medical detection, and other fields. In this paper, a low dark count rate (DCR) single-photon avalanche diode device is designed based on the 180 nm standard BCD process. The device has a good response in the 450~750 nm spectral range. The active area of the device adopts a P+/N-Well structure with a diameter of 20 µm. The low-doped N-Well increases the thickness of the depletion region and can effectively improve the detection sensitivity; the P-Well acts as a guard ring to prevent premature breakdown of the PN junction edge; the isolation effect of the deep N-Well reduces the noise coupling of the substrate. Use the TCAD simulation tool to verify the SPAD’s basic principles. The experimental test results show that the avalanche breakdown voltage of the device is 11.7 V. The dark count rate is only 123 Hz when the over-bias voltage is 1 V, and the peak photon detection efficiency (PDE) reaches 37.5% at the wavelength of 500 nm under the 0.5 V over-bias voltage. PDE exceeds 30% in the range of 460~640 nm spectral range, which has a good response in the blue band. The SPAD device provides certain design ideas for the research of fluorescence detectors.

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High photon detection efficiency single photon avalanche diode in 0.18 μm standard CMOS process

Modern Physics Letters B ◽

10.1142/s0217984917501937 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (17) ◽

pp. 1750193 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wei Wang ◽

Xiaoyuan Bao ◽

Li Chen ◽

Ting Chen ◽

Guanyu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breakdown Voltage ◽

Bias Voltage ◽

Detection Efficiency ◽

Single Photon ◽

Cmos Process ◽

Guard Ring ◽

Reverse Bias Voltage ◽

Photon Detection ◽

Standard Cmos Process ◽

Photon Detection Efficiency

This paper proposed a single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) designed with 0.18 [Formula: see text] standard CMOS process. One of the major challenges in CMOS SPADs is how to raise the low photon detection efficiency (PDE). In this paper, the device structure and process parameters of the CMOS SPAD are optimized so as to improve PDE properties which have been investigated in detail. The CMOS SPADs are designed in p+/n-well/deep n-well (DNW) structure with the p-sub and the p-well guard ring (GR). The simulation results show that with the p-well GR, the quantum efficiency (QE) is about 80% with the breakdown voltage of 12.7 V, the unit responsivity is as high as 0.38 A/W and the PDE of 51% and 53% is obtained when the excess bias is at 1 V and 2 V, respectively. The dark count rate (DCR) is 6.2 kHz when bias voltage is 14 V. With the p-sub GR, the breakdown voltage is 13 V, the unit responsivity is up to 0.26 A/W, the QE is 58%, the PDE is 33% and 37% at excess bias of 1 V and 2 V, respectively. The DCR is 3.4 kHz at reverse bias voltage of 14 V.

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Photon-Detection-Probability Simulation Method for CMOS Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20020436 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 436 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chin-An Hsieh ◽

Chia-Ming Tsai ◽

Bing-Yue Tsui ◽

Bo-Jen Hsiao ◽

Sheng-Di Lin

Keyword(s):

Detection Probability ◽

Single Photon ◽

Cmos Technology ◽

Oxide Semiconductor ◽

Cmos Process ◽

Single Photons ◽

Photon Detection ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Avalanche Diodes ◽

Single Photon Avalanche Diodes

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology have excellent timing resolution and are capable to detect single photons. The most important indicator for its sensitivity, photon-detection probability (PDP), defines the probability of a successful detection for a single incident photon. To optimize PDP is a cost- and time-consuming task due to the complicated and expensive CMOS process. In this work, we have developed a simulation procedure to predict the PDP without any fitting parameter. With the given process parameters, our method combines the process, the electrical, and the optical simulations in commercially available software and the calculation of breakdown trigger probability. The simulation results have been compared with the experimental data conducted in an 800-nm CMOS technology and obtained a good consistence at the wavelength longer than 600 nm. The possible reasons for the disagreement at the short wavelength have been discussed. Our work provides an effective way to optimize the PDP of a SPAD prior to its fabrication.

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