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Research Progress of Single Photon Avalanche Diode with Low Dark Count Rate

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Proceedings of 2019 International Conference on Optoelectronics and Measurement

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering ((LNEE,volume 726))

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Abstract

Single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) in Geiger mode is a kind of detector which can detect extremely faint signal, and has been greatly developed in recent years due to the single photon sensitivity, time resolution on the order of picoseconds and high photon-detection efficiency. The device has been widely applied in time-resolved spectrum measurement, quantum imaging and quantum cryptography. The dark count rate (DCR) is one of the key parameters to judge the performance of the device. However, high DCR is a common problem in the world, especially for the device with large sensitive area. In recent years, the research of the device with low DCR is in-depth, and some remarkable achievements have been made, including the establishment of the physical simulation model and the optimization of structure. In this paper, based on the previous research results, we analyze the physical mechanism of the generation of DCR, including Shockley Read Hall (SRH), Trap-Assisted Tunneling (TAT), and Band to Band Tunneling (BTBT), and describe the method of physical model simulation using Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) software. On the other hand, we have studied the structure of the device with low DCR and summarize their advantages, respectively. It is hoped that through in-depth research on the physical model and structure design theory, we can find a way to reduce the DCR of the device, so as to improve its performance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 61904169).

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Correspondence to Tianqi Zhao .

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Chu, T., Feng, G., Zhao, T., Lin, C. (2021). Research Progress of Single Photon Avalanche Diode with Low Dark Count Rate. In: Peng, Y., Dong, X. (eds) Proceedings of 2019 International Conference on Optoelectronics and Measurement. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 726. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4110-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4110-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-33-4109-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-33-4110-4

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