Self-quenching and self-recovering InGaAs∕InAlAs single photon avalanche detector

To prevent device damage through thermal runaway, conventional III–V single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) operate in gated mode where the device is biased above breakdown only for a short gating period. Here a free-running In0.53Ga0.47As∕InAlAs SPAD with built-in negative feedback mechanism is reported. A physical model is also developed to formulate the avalanche process with negative feedback. Introducing negative feedback enables the device to possess self-quenching and self-recovering capabilities. Such devices have demonstrated free-running single photon detection at 1550nm wavelength with single photon detection efficiency of 11.5%, dark count rate of 3.3M∕s, and a self-recovery time of 60ns at 160K.