Hybrid integration of a CMOS active quench and reset circuit for a geiger-mode avalanche photodiode

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Abstract

An active quench and reset circuit (AQRC) is an essential control circuit for ensuring high-speed photon counting with geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GMAPs). Its purpose is to turn off the detector when an avalanche has been detected, register a photon count and then reset the device to its quiescent bias voltage after a preset interval, to enable further avalanche events to be counted. This paper presents an AQRC-IC, developed using Europractice's ASIC Service. The purpose of the design was to develop a high-speed CMOS AQRC for hybrid integration with in-house GMAPs. The designed ASIC, developed using AMS' 3.3 V 0.35 μm CMOS process models, includes a ballast resistor for the external GMAP, a comparator sensing-stage, an active quench and an active reset stage. The hold-off time is determined using external silicon delay lines and an FPGA. The ASIC is implemented on a ceramic DIP as is the GMAP, and the AQRC prototype achieves a saturated count-rate of 5 Mcounts/s, an active quench of 45 ns, an active reset of 30 ns and possible increments of the hold-off time between 50 ns and 500 ns.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOptoelectronic Integrated Circuits VIII
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006
EventOptoelectronic Integrated Circuits VIII - San Jose, CA, United States
Duration: 23 Jan 200625 Jan 2006

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume6124
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Conference

ConferenceOptoelectronic Integrated Circuits VIII
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Jose, CA
Period23/01/0625/01/06

Keywords

  • Active quench and reset circuit (AQRC)
  • Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)
  • Comparator
  • Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)
  • Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GMAP)
  • Silicon delay line

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