Temporal jitter in free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche detectors

Negative-feedback avalanche diodes (NFADs) provide a practical solution for different single-photon counting applications requiring free-running mode operation with low afterpulsing probability. Unfortunately, the timing jitter has never been as good as for gated InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diodes. Here we report on the timing jitter characterization of InGaAs/InP based NFADs with particular focus on the temperature dependence and the effect of carrier transport between the absorption and multiplication regions. Values as low as 52 ps full-width at half-maximum were obtained at an excess bias voltage of 3.5 V and an operating temperature of around -100°C.