Free-running InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode with active quenching for single photon counting at telecom wavelengths

Abstract

We present an InGaAsInP avalanche photodiode with an active quenching circuit on an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is capable of operating in both gated and free-running modes. The 1.6 mm2 ASIC chip is fabricated using complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology guaranteeing long-term stability, reliability, and compactness. In the free-running mode, we find a single photon detection efficiency of 10% with <2 kHz of noise. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.