Ultimate Sensitivity Solid State Photodetector

描述(申请人提供)：我们提出了一种固态单光子雪崩探测器(SPAD)，基于大禁带化合物半导体材料和一种新的盖革模式雪崩光电二极管结构。它将能够在室温下以独特的低背景暗噪声和高量子效率探测到低至单光子的光级。它还将探测到放射性粒子发射出的闪烁物质产生的光子。SPAD的性能将优于真空光电管和所有以前的APD。SPAD可以使许多重要的生物医学仪器成本更低、更小、更坚固。该项目将大幅减少系统占地面积和成本，从而在纳米技术传感器、PET扫描、MEMS、流式细胞仪和荧光显微镜等领域实现基本优势。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a solid-state single-photon avalanche detector (SPAD), based on large band gap compound semiconductor materials and a new Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode structure. It will be able to detect light levels down to lone photons with uniquely low background dark noise and high quantum efficiency at room temperature. It will also detect photons showered by a scintillating material from radioactive particle emissions. The SPAD will have superior performance to vacuum phototubes and all previous APDs. The SPAD can make many important biomedical instruments orders of magnitude lower cost, smaller, and more rugged. Fundamental advantages in areas like nanotechnology sensors, PET scanning, MEMS, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy will be enabled by the massive decrease in system footprint and cost offered by this project.