Abstract
Commercial avalanche photodiodes have been operated as single-photon detectors at an optimum operating temperature and bias voltage. These detectors were found to be 1.5-3 times more sensitive than presently available photomultiplier tubes (PMT's). Both single-photon detection probability and detector noise increase with bias voltage; detection probabilities greater than twice that of a PMT were obtained with detector noise levels below 100 counts per second. Higher probabilities were measured at higher noise levels. The sources of noise and their dependence on temperature and bias voltage are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1493-1494 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 19 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1987 |
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 202042 Optical communication engineering
- 103040 Photonics