Optical Cross-Talk Effect in a Semiconductor Photon Counting Detector Array

Solid state single photon detectors are getting more and more attention in various areas of applied physics: optical sensors, communication, quantum key distribution, optical ranging and Lidar, time resolved spectroscopy, opaque media imaging and ballistic photon identification. Avalanche photodiodes specifically designed for single photon counting semiconductor avalanche structures have been developed on the basis of various materials: Si, Ge, GaP, GaAsP and InGaAs/InGaAsP at the Czech Technical University in Prague during the last 20 years. They have been tailored for numerous applications. Recently, there is a strong demand for the photon counting detector in a form of an array; even small arrays 10x1 or 3x3 are of great importance for users. Although the photon counting array can be manufactured, there exists a serious limitation for its performance: the optical cross-talk between individual detecting cells. This cross-talk is caused by the optical emission of the avalanche photon counting structure which accompanies the photon detection process. We have studied in detail the optical emission of the avalanche photon counting structure in the silicon shallow junction type photodiode. The timing properties, radiation pattern and spectral distribution of the emitted light have been measured for various detection structures and their different operating conditions. The ultimate limit for the cross-talk has been determined and the methods for its limitation have been proposed.