A simple and robust method for characterization of afterpulsing in single photon detectors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a straightforward, accurate method for characterizing key parameters like afterpulsing in single photon detectors using counting statistics, applicable across various detector types.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, simple methodology for characterizing afterpulsing and other parameters in single photon detectors based solely on counting statistics.

Findings

Effective characterization of dark count rate, detection efficiency, and afterpulsing.

Method demonstrated on InGaAs avalanche photodiode detector.

Applicable to any type of single photon detector.

Abstract

Single photon detectors are important for a wide range of applications each with their own specific requirements, which makes necessary the precise characterization of detectors. Here, we present a simple and accurate methodology of characterizing dark count rate, detection efficiency, and after-pulsing in single photon detectors purely based on their counting statistics. We demonstrate our new method on a custom-made, free-running single photon detector based on an InGaAs based avalanche photo diode (APD), though the methodology presented here is applicable for any type of single photon detector.