Single-photon avalanche diodes dynamic range and linear response enhancement by conditional probability correction.

Area of Science:

• Photon detection
• Optical sensing technologies
• Atmospheric science

Background:

• Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in free-running mode suffer signal distortion.
• Afterpulse, dead time, and non-linear detection efficiency impact SPAD performance.
• Accurate photon detection is crucial for advanced sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a correction method for SPAD detection signal distortion.
• To mitigate the effects of afterpulse, dead time, and non-linear efficiency.
• To enhance the performance of SPADs in atmospheric detection systems.

Main Methods:

• A correction method based on conditional probability was developed.
• Experimental validation was performed under high temporal resolution and dynamic range conditions.
• The method was applied to polarization lidar and CO2 lidar systems.

Main Results:

• The proposed method achieved a residual sum of squares significantly lower than uncorrected SPAD data (68x) and deconvolution methods (50x).
• Significant performance improvements were observed when applied to lidar systems.
• The method effectively addresses SPAD afterpulse, dead time, and non-linear detection efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The conditional probability method offers effective signal correction for SPADs.
• This technique is suitable for all SPADs, particularly in atmospheric detection.
• The study demonstrates a substantial advancement in SPAD-based sensing accuracy.