AbstractWhile silicon single-photon avalanche diodes (SPAD) have reached very high
detection efficiency and timing resolution, their use in fibre-optic
communications, optical free space communications, and infrared sensing and
imaging remains limited. III-V compounds including InGaAs and InP are the
prevalent materials for 1550 nm light detection. However, even the most
sensitive 1550 nm photoreceivers in optical communication have a sensitivity
limit of a few hundred photons. Today, the only viable approach to achieve
single-photon sensitivity at 1550 nm wavelength from semiconductor devices is to
operate the avalanche detectors in Geiger mode, essentially trading dynamic
range and speed for sensitivity. As material properties limit the performance of
Ge and III-V detectors, new conceptual insight with regard to novel quenching
and gain mechanisms could potentially address the performance limitations of
III-V SPADs. Novel designs that utilise internal self-quenching and negative
feedback can be used to harness the sensitivity of single-photon detectors,while
drastically reducing the device complexity and increasing the level of
integration. Incorporation of multiple gain mechanisms, together with
self-quenching and built-in negative feedback, into a single device also hold
promise for a new type of detector with single-photon sensitivity and large
dynamic range.
Afterpulsing studies of low-noise InGaAs/InP single-photon negative-feedback avalanche diodes