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Absolute calibration of a single-photon avalanche detector using a bright triggered single-photon source based on an InGaAs quantum dot

Categories:
  • Fundamentals of Metrology
27.08.2021

We apply an InGaAs quantum dot based single-photon source for the absolute detection efficiency calibration of a silicon single-photon avalanche diode operating in Geiger mode. The single-photon source delivers up to (2.55 ± 0.02) × 106 photons per second inside a multimode fiber at the wavelength of 929.8 nm for above-band pulsed excitation with a repetition rate of 80 MHz. The purity of the single photon emission, expressed by the value of the 2nd order correlation function g(2)(τ = 0), is between 0.14 and 0.24 depending on the excitation power applied to the quantum dot. The single-photon flux is sufficient to be measured with an analog low-noise reference detector, which is traceable to the national standard for optical radiant flux. The measured detection efficiency using the single-photon source remains constant within the measurement uncertainty for different photon fluxes. The corresponding weighted mean thus amounts to 0.3263 with a standard uncertainty of 0.0022.

© 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement


Authors:
Georgieva, Hristina; 4.5, Angewandte Radiometrie, PTB-Braunschweig
López, Marco; 4.5, Angewandte Radiometrie, PTB-Braunschweig
Hofer, Helmuth; 4.5, Angewandte Radiometrie, PTB-Braunschweig
Kanold, Niklas; Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Kaganskiy, Arsenty; Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Rodt, Sven; Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Reitzenstein, Stephan; Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Kück, Stefan; 4, Optik, PTB-Braunschweig; Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology, Langer Kamp 6, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany

For further information:
Optics Express Vol. 29, Issue 15, pp. 23500-23507 (2021), doi.org/10.1364/OE.430680

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