Realizing a robust, reconfigurable active quenching design for multiple architectures of single-photon avalanche detectors

Subash Sachidananda; Prithvi Gundlapalli; Victor Leong; Leonid Krivitsky; Alexander Ling

doi:10.1117/12.2608424

5 March 2022 Realizing a robust, reconfigurable active quenching design for multiple architectures of single-photon avalanche detectors

Subash Sachidananda, Prithvi Gundlapalli, Victor Leong, Leonid Krivitsky, Alexander Ling

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12008, Photonic Instrumentation Engineering IX; 1200807 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608424
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Most active quench circuits used for single-photon avalanche detectors are designed either with discrete components which lack the flexibility of dynamically changing the control parameters, or with custom ASICs which require a long development time and high cost. As an alternative, we present a reconfigurable and robust hybrid design implemented using a System-on-Chip (SoC), which integrates both an FPGA and a microcontroller. We take advantage of the FPGA’s speed and configuration capabilities to vary the quench and reset parameters dynamically over a large range, thus allowing our circuit to operate with a wide variety of APDs without having to re-design the system. The microcontroller enables the remote adjustment of control parameters and re-calibration of APDs in the field. The ruggedized design uses components with space heritage, thus making it suitable for space-based applications in the fields of telecommunications and quantum key distribution (QKD). We characterize our circuit with a commercial APD cooled to -20°C, and obtain a deadtime of 35ns while maintaining the after-pulsing probability at close to 3%. We also demonstrate versatility of the circuit by directly testing custom fabricated chip-scale APDs, which paves the way for automated wafer-scale testing and characterization.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Subash Sachidananda, Prithvi Gundlapalli, Victor Leong, Leonid Krivitsky, and Alexander Ling "Realizing a robust, reconfigurable active quenching design for multiple architectures of single-photon avalanche detectors", Proc. SPIE 12008, Photonic Instrumentation Engineering IX, 1200807 (5 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608424

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