Short-wave Infrared Single Photon Detection With Linear Mode Avalanche Photodiode

单光子探测器的优势在于它们可以用于增强成像、保密通信和强大的计算。这些技术有可能改变我们的生活、工作和与世界互动的方式，例如，通过量子密钥分发拥有牢不可破的加密电信，通过与时间相关的单光子计数实现激光雷达系统和环境气体传感。探测单个量子的光(单个光子)为你提供了终极的灵敏度。理想的探测器需要在所有短波红外(SWIR)波长下具有极高的探测效率、非常低的噪声、高速、出色的定时分辨率、用户友好、低成本并且能够在室温下使用。最近，使用新的III-V材料和能带结构工程结构，我们已经看到SWIR探测器性能的范式转变。在这个项目中，我们的目标是设计和制造新型的能够探测单光子的极低过剩噪声的InP基线性模式雪崩光电二极管，并在几个新兴的应用中对它们进行评估。这种新型量子探测器的性能将超过现有设备，它们的展示将为国家安全和气候变化挑战等领域的新兴应用打开新的机会。

The advantage of single photon detectors is that they can be used for enhanced imaging, secure communication and powerful computing. These have the potential to transform how we live, work and interact with the world, for example, having unbreakable encrypted telecommunications by quantum key distribution, enabling LiDAR systems and environmental gas sensing by time-correlated single photon counting. Detecting an individual quantum of light (a single photon) provides you with the ultimate sensitivity. The ideal detector needs to have an extremely high detection efficiency at all short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths, very low noise, high speed, excellent timing resolution, user-friendly, low cost and be capable of use at room temperature.Although there are several available SWIR detectors, a detector that fulfils all these requirements does not exist yet. Recently, using novel III-V materials and band structure engineered structures, we have seen a paradigm shift in the performance of SWIR detectors. In this project, we aim to design and fabricate novel extremely low excess noise InP-based linear mode-avalanche photodiodes capable of detecting single photons, and evaluate them in several emerging applications. This new class of quantum detector will outperform the existing devices, and their demonstration would open new opportunities for emerging applications in areas such as national security and climate change challenges.