Princeton Lightwave Inc has developed high-performance single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) for photon counting in the 0.9-1.6 um wavelength range. These Geiger-mode detectors offer single photon sensitivity with high efficiency, low dark count rates, and low jitter. Applications include quantum communications, optical time domain reflectometry, near-infrared LADAR/LIDAR systems, and free space optical communications.
The NIST SBIR program provided development resources to explore alternative materials systems and improve performance. The resulting SPAD-based products now exceed earlier generations by a factor of 10. Products range from discrete components to integrated turn-key receivers, serving diverse end users.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/tpo/sbir-success-story-princetonlightwave
Keywords: Avalanche, Photon, Detection, Geiger, Metrology
