We report an automated characterization of a single-photon detector based on commercial silicon avalanche photodiode (PerkinElmer C30902SH). The photodiode is characterized by I-V curves at different illumination levels (darkness, 10 pW and 10 uW), dark count rate and photon detection efficiency at different bias voltages. The automated characterization routine is implemented in C++ running on a Linux computer.
We report operation and characterization of a lab-assembled single-photon detector based on commercial silicon avalanche photodiodes (PerkinElmer C30902SH, C30921SH). Dark count rate as low as 5 Hz was achieved by cooling the photodiodes down to -80 C. While afterpulsing increased as the photodiode temperature was decreased, total afterpulse probability did not become significant due to detectors relatively long deadtime in a passively-quenched scheme. We measured photon detection efficiency higher than 50% at 806 nm.
We present the first operation of the Avalanche Photodiode (APD) from Hamamatsu to xenon scintillation light and to direct X-rays of 22.1 keV and 5.9 keV. A large non-linear response was observed for the direct X-ray detection. At 415 V APD bias voltage it was of about 30 % for 22.1 keV and about 45 % for 5.9 keV. The quantum efficiency for 172 nm photons has been measured to be 69 +/- 15 %.
The single-photon avalanche photodiode(SPAD) has been widely used in research on quantum optics. The afterpulsing effect, which is an intrinsic character of SPAD, affects the system performance in most experiments and needs to be carefully handled. For a long time, afterpulsing has been presumed to be determined by the pre-ignition avalanche. We studied the afterpulsing effect of a commercial InGaAs/InP SPAD (The avalanche photodiode model is: Princeton Lightwave PGA-300) and demonstrated that its afterpulsing is non-Markovian, with a memory effect in the avalanching history. Theoretical analysis and experimental results clearly indicate that the embodiment of this memory effect is the afterpulsing probability, which increases as the number of ignition-avalanche pulses increase. This conclusion makes the principle of the afterpulsing effect clearer and is instructive to the manufacturing processes and afterpulsing evaluation of high-count-rate SPADs. It can also be regarded as a fundamental premise to handle the afterpulsing signals in many applications, such as quantum communication and quantum random number generation.
Single-photon avalanche photodiode(SPAD) has been widely used in researching of quantum optics. Afterpulsing effect, which is an intrinsic character of SPAD, affects the system performance in most of the experiments and needs to be carefully handled. For a long time, afterpulsing has been presumed to be determined by the pre-ignition avalanche. We studied the afterpulsing effect of a commercial InGaAs/InP SPAD (APD: Princeton Lightwave PGA-300) and demonstrated that its afterpulsing is non-Markov, which has memory effect of the avalanching history. Theoretical analysis and the experimental results clearly indicate that the embodiment of this memory effect is the afterpulsing probability, which increases as the number of ignition-avalanche pulses increase. The conclusion makes the principle of afterpulsing effect clearer and is instructive to the manufacturing processes and afterpulsing evaluation of high-count-rate SPADs. It can also be regarded as an fundamental premise to handle the afterpulsing signals in many applications, such as quantum communication and quantum random number generator.
Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) are detectors sensitive to single photons that are used to detect scintillation and Cherenkov light in a variety of physics and medical-imaging applications. SiPMs measure single photons by amplifying the photo-generated carriers (electrons or holes) via a Geiger-mode avalanche. The Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) is the combined probability that a photon is absorbed in the active volume of the device with a subsequently triggered avalanche. Absorption and avalanche triggering probabilities are correlated since the latter probability depends on where the photon is absorbed. In this paper, we introduce a physics motivated parameterization of the avalanche triggering probability that describes the PDE of a SiPM as a function of its reverse bias voltage, at different wavelengths. This parameterization is based on the fact that in p-on-n SiPMs the induced avalanches are electron-driven in the ultra-violet and near-ultra-violet ranges, while they become increasingly hole-driven towards the near-infra-red range. The model has been successfully applied to characterize two Hamamatsu MPPCs and one FBK SiPM, and it can be extended to other SiPMs. Furthermore, this model provides key insight on the electric field structure within SiPMs, which can explain the limitation of existing devices and be used to optimize the performance of future SiPMs.