• DOI:10.1364/AO.32.003894
• Corpus ID: 35172951

Photon counting techniques with silicon avalanche photodiodes.

@article{Dautet1993PhotonCT,
  title={Photon counting techniques with silicon avalanche photodiodes.},
  author={Henri Dautet and Pierre Deschamps and Bruno Dion and Andrew D. MacGregor and Darlene E. Macsween and Robert J. Mcintyre and Claude Trottier and Paul P. Webb},
  journal={Applied optics},
  year={1993},
  volume={32 21},
  pages={
          3894-900
        }
}

• H. Dautet, P. Deschamps, +5 authors P. Webb
• Published 20 July 1993
• Physics
• Applied optics

The properties of avalanche photodiodes and associated electronics required for photon counting in the Geiger and the sub-Geiger modes are reviewed. When the Geiger mode is used, there are significant improvements reported in overall photon detection efficiencies (approaching 70% at 633 nm), and a timing jitter (under 200 ps) is achieved with passive quenching at high overvoltages (20-30 V). The results obtained by using an active-mode fast quench circuit capable of switching overvoltages as high as 15 V (giving photon detection efficiencies in the 50% range) with a dead time of less than 50 ns are reported. Larger diodes (up to 1 mm in diameter) that are usable in the Geiger mode and that have quantum efficiencies over 80% in the 500-800-nm range are also reported.