NP-SPAD SIGNED

Project "NP-SPAD" data sheet

The following table provides information about the project.

 Partnership

Take a look of project's partnership.

Map

 Project objective

High efficiency detection of single photons at telecommunication wavelengths (notably at 1.55 µm) is critical for emerging technologies, such as free-space and on-fiber quantum information processing, eye-safe and long-distance light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and highly sensitive remote sensing. This research project aims to meet this critical need by developing III-V nanopillar-based uncooled single-photon avalanche diodes (NP-SPADs), which are composed of nanostructured InAsP-InP Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GmAPDs) with self-assembled plasmonic gratings, operating at 1.55 µm. Compared with commercially available InGaAs(P)-InP GmAPDs, the proposed device scheme significantly suppresses thermally generated carriers and trap state population by a factor of 20 to 100 due to the extremely small fill factor of nanopillar arrays (less than 5%). All the while, sufficient optical absorption is maintained via surface plasmon resonance by the plasmonic gratings. The sum combination of these unique capabilities offers the promise of achieving NP-SPADs with free-running mode operation, high photon detection efficiency (PDE; probability of detecting a single photon) of 10 – 20%, low dark count rate (DCR; rate of false detection) of ~50 Hz, and high photon count rate ≥5 MHz. If successful, this approach can drastically stimulate the development and commercialization of high performance semiconductor-based NP-SPADs, putting European Union (EU) at the forefront of cutting-edge technology in single photon detection.