ISSN:
1089-7623
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
Notes:
We characterize the operation of large-area high-gain silicon avalanche photodiodes (APDs) at near liquid-nitrogen temperatures. The APDs that we studied have active areas of 64 mm2 and have gains of up to 20 000 at 85 K. We characterized the devices for both the usual, analog mode of operation and for doing single-photon pulse counting. The experimental results were found to be reasonably well described by the McIntyre theory. We independently measured k, the hole/electron ionization ratio—a key parameter in the McIntyre theory—and found it to be ∼6×10−4. Cooled, large-area, high-gain APDs compare favorably to photomultiplier tubes in applications that require high sensitivity at near-infrared wavelengths. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1149693
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