Performance of InGaAs/InP Avalanche Photodiodes as Gated-Mode Photon Counters

We investigate the performance of separate absorption multiplication InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes as single-photon detectors for 1.3- and 1.55-mum wavelengths. First we study afterpulses and choose experimental conditions to limit this effect. Then we compare the InGaAs/InP detector with a germanium avalanche photodiode; the former shows a lower dark-count rate. The effect of operating temperature is studied for both wavelengths. At 173 K and with a dark-count probability per gate of 10(-4), detection efficiencies of 16% for 1.3 mum and 7% for 1.55 mum are obtained. Finally, a timing resolution of less than200 ps is demonstrated.