1.25 GHz sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector with monolithically integrated readout circuit

TL;DR

This paper introduces a compact InGaAs/InP single-photon detector operating at 1.25 GHz sine wave gating with an integrated readout circuit, achieving high efficiency and low noise suitable for practical applications.

Contribution

The first implementation of a 1.25 GHz sine wave gated InGaAs/InP SPD with a monolithically integrated readout circuit for miniaturization and improved performance.

Findings

Photon detection efficiency of 27.5%.

Dark count rate of 1.2 kcps.

Afterpulse probability of 9.1% at 223 K.

Abstract

InGaAs/InP single-photon detectors (SPDs) are the key devices for applications requiring near-infrared single-photon detection. Gating mode is an effective approach to synchronous single-photon detection. Increasing gating frequency and reducing module size are important challenges for the design of such detector system. Here we present for the first time an InGaAs/InP SPD with 1.25 GHz sine wave gating using a monolithically integrated readout circuit (MIRC). The MIRC has a size of 15 mm * 15 mm and implements the miniaturization of avalanche extraction for high-frequency sine wave gating. In the MIRC, low-pass filters and a low-noise radio frequency amplifier are integrated based on the technique of low temperature co-fired ceramic, which can effectively reduce the parasitic capacitance and extract weak avalanche signals. We then characterize the InGaAs/InP SPD to verify the functionality and reliability of MIRC, and the SPD exhibits excellent performance with 27.5 % photon detection efficiency, 1.2 kcps dark count rate, and 9.1 % afterpulse probability at 223 K and 100 ns hold-off time. With this MIRC, one can further design miniaturized high-frequency SPD modules that are highly required for practical applications.