AIR SPAD - AlGaAsSb Infrared Single Photon Avalanche Diodes

为了应对气候变化，对温室气体的关注最近已经从对二氧化碳的压倒性关注扩大到对甲烷的关注。甲烷是第二重要的温室气体，因为在释放后的20年里，它的效力是二氧化碳的84倍。甲烷是天然气的主要成分，由于全球从煤炭和石油转向天然气，对天然气的需求不断增加。除了对气候变化的不利影响外，泄漏造成的甲烷损失估计每年超过230亿英镑。理想情况下，需要具有良好空间分辨率的甲烷连续监测，以确定并最大限度地减少甲烷损失。然而，目前检测甲烷泄漏的技术既昂贵又耗时，只能偶尔进行检查。手持式“嗅探器”在近距离内检测泄漏，要求它们在设施的每平方英尺都经过。卫星成像（欧空局的哥白尼哨兵5P卫星）覆盖范围更广，但空间分辨率较差（19.5平方公里），数据断断续续。AIR SPAD项目通过开发高性能单光子探测器，解决了当前甲烷探测技术的这一重要缺陷，量子气体传感相机的探测效率提高了4倍。项目团队由Phlux、QLM和The University of Sheffield （TUoS）组成。QLM最近展示了量子气体传感相机（基于单光子红外激光雷达），可以在远距离对温室气体进行成像和量化。这些摄像机具有极大的潜力，可以大大降低大型工业现场气体监测的复杂性和成本，但它们的摄像机性能目前仅限于低帧率，以及由于单光子探测器性能不足而导致的静态操作。Phlux Technology Ltd和TUoS最近展示了一种新的红外单光子探测器技术，该技术有可能提供比商用单光子雪崩二极管（spad）高4倍的单光子探测效率（SPDE）。部署在QLM的量子气体传感中，Phlux的AIR SPAD探测器可以将帧率提高4倍，同时增加测量范围和甲烷灵敏度。我们相信，这个项目不仅将改变量子气体传感相机的游戏规则，而且还将为SWIR spad带来英国供应商。对于基于光纤的量子密钥分配系统和红外量子成像，AIR SPAD也可能是一项同样具有颠覆性的技术。

To address climate change, attention on greenhouse gases has recently expanded from an overwhelming focus on carbon dioxide to include methane. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas, because for 20 years after release, it is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane is a major constituent of natural gas, which has experienced increased demand, owing to a global switch from coal and oil to natural gas. In addition to its detrimental effects on climate change, methane loss caused by leaks is estimated to cost more than 23 billion GBP per year.Ideally, continuous monitoring for methane with good spatial resolution is needed to identify and minimise methane loss. However, current technologies to detect methane leaks are expensive and time-consuming, resulting in only occasional inspections. Handheld "sniffers" detect leaks at short range, requiring them to be passed over every square foot of a facility. Satellite imaging, (ESA's Copernicus Sentinel 5P satellite) provides wider coverage but suffers from poor spatial resolution (19.5 km2) and intermittent data.The AIR SPAD project addresses this important shortcoming of current methane detection technology, by developing high-performance single photon detectors, with 4X higher detection efficiency for quantum gas sensing cameras. The project team consists of Phlux, QLM, and The University of Sheffield (TUoS).QLM has recently demonstrated quantum gas sensing cameras (based on single photon infrared LIDAR) that can image and quantify greenhouse gases at long range. These cameras have great potential to drastically reduce the complexity and cost of gas monitoring of large industrial sites, but their camera performance is currently limited to low frame rates, and static operation caused by inadequate performance of the single photon detectors available.Phlux Technology Ltd and TUoS have recently demonstrated a new infrared single photon detector technology that has the potential to deliver 4X higher single photon detection efficiency (SPDE) than commercial Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs). Deployed in QLM's quantum gas sensing, Phlux's AIR SPAD detector could increase the framerate by 4X, while increasing measurement range and methane sensitivity.We believe this project will not only be a game changer for quantum gas sensing camera capability, but also lead to a UK supplier for SWIR SPADs. AIR SPAD could also be an equally disruptive technology for fibre-based quantum key distribution systems and infrared quantum imaging.