Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors
Achieving high quantum efficiency (QE) with low dark count is essential for highly sensitive photodetectors (PDs), including single photon avalanche detectors (SPAD). However, high QE requires a thicker absorber region, which leads to high dark current and noise, which in turn affects PD’s detectivi...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | JPhys Photonics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7647/adc90b |
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| author | Sagar Chowdhury Rituraj Srini Krishnamurthy Vidya Praveen Bhallamudi |
| author_facet | Sagar Chowdhury Rituraj Srini Krishnamurthy Vidya Praveen Bhallamudi |
| author_sort | Sagar Chowdhury |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Achieving high quantum efficiency (QE) with low dark count is essential for highly sensitive photodetectors (PDs), including single photon avalanche detectors (SPAD). However, high QE requires a thicker absorber region, which leads to high dark current and noise, which in turn affects PD’s detectivity and SPADs’ photodetection efficiency and dark count. The holy grail of PD and avalanche photodiode designs is to achieve the highest QE with the thinnest absorber and still enable large avalanche gain as needed. We have developed a new design paradigm that exploits the coupling between dielectric Mie resonance and transverse propagating modes in thin layers. The Mie resonance efficiently launches the incident light at an angle in an ultra-thin absorber, and when coupled to transverse waves, the light propagates laterally and is fully absorbed owing to the longer optical path. Consequently, with the appropriate choice of materials for a chosen wavelength, a high absorption (∼90%) within typically <100 nm-thick absorber is possible. For illustration, we apply our approach to design a Si-based detector operating at 810 nm and an InGaAs-based detector operating at 1550 nm and predict that the dark current at room temperature will be reduced at least by two orders of magnitude. In addition, the lateral distances between contacts are often in a few microns, enabling these designs for large avalanching gain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-abb5e3b2ab1240cbb758bda40a1f30e2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2515-7647 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JPhys Photonics |
| spelling | doaj-art-abb5e3b2ab1240cbb758bda40a1f30e22025-08-20T03:14:16ZengIOP PublishingJPhys Photonics2515-76472025-01-017202502910.1088/2515-7647/adc90bNovel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectorsSagar Chowdhury0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8400-2750Rituraj1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7842-6808Srini Krishnamurthy2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9792-3984Vidya Praveen Bhallamudi3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7158-5216Depattment of Physics and Quantum Center of Excellence for Diamond and Emerging Materials (QuCenDiEM), Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur , Kanpur, IndiaDepattment of Physics and Quantum Center of Excellence for Diamond and Emerging Materials (QuCenDiEM), Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai, India; Sivananthan Laboratories , Bolingbrook, IL, United States of AmericaDepattment of Physics and Quantum Center of Excellence for Diamond and Emerging Materials (QuCenDiEM), Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai, IndiaAchieving high quantum efficiency (QE) with low dark count is essential for highly sensitive photodetectors (PDs), including single photon avalanche detectors (SPAD). However, high QE requires a thicker absorber region, which leads to high dark current and noise, which in turn affects PD’s detectivity and SPADs’ photodetection efficiency and dark count. The holy grail of PD and avalanche photodiode designs is to achieve the highest QE with the thinnest absorber and still enable large avalanche gain as needed. We have developed a new design paradigm that exploits the coupling between dielectric Mie resonance and transverse propagating modes in thin layers. The Mie resonance efficiently launches the incident light at an angle in an ultra-thin absorber, and when coupled to transverse waves, the light propagates laterally and is fully absorbed owing to the longer optical path. Consequently, with the appropriate choice of materials for a chosen wavelength, a high absorption (∼90%) within typically <100 nm-thick absorber is possible. For illustration, we apply our approach to design a Si-based detector operating at 810 nm and an InGaAs-based detector operating at 1550 nm and predict that the dark current at room temperature will be reduced at least by two orders of magnitude. In addition, the lateral distances between contacts are often in a few microns, enabling these designs for large avalanching gain.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7647/adc90bmetasurfaceSPADMie resonanceguided mode resonancephotodetector |
| spellingShingle | Sagar Chowdhury Rituraj Srini Krishnamurthy Vidya Praveen Bhallamudi Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors JPhys Photonics metasurface SPAD Mie resonance guided mode resonance photodetector |
| title | Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| title_full | Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| title_fullStr | Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| title_short | Novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| title_sort | novel design paradigm for highly efficient and low noise photodetectors |
| topic | metasurface SPAD Mie resonance guided mode resonance photodetector |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7647/adc90b |
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