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Abstract One of the most common approaches for quenching single-photon avalanche diodes is to use a passive resistor in series with it. A drawback of this approach has been the limited recovery speed of the single-photon avalanche diodes. High resistance is needed to quench the avalanche, leading to slower recharging of the single-photon avalanche diodes depletion capacitor. We address this issue by replacing a fixed quenching resistor with a bias-dependent adaptive resistive switch. Reversible generation of metallic conduction enables switching between low and high resistance states under unipolar bias. As an example, using a Pt/Al 2 O 3 /Ag resistor with a commercial silicon single-photon avalanche diodes, we demonstrate avalanche pulse widths as small as ~30 ns, 10× smaller than a passively quenched approach, thus significantly improving the single-photon avalanche diodes frequency response. The experimental results are consistent with a model where the adaptive resistor dynamically changes its resistance during discharging and recharging the single-photon avalanche diodes. 

We report the frequency response of Al_0.3InAsSb/Al_0.7InAsSb nBn photodetectors. The 3-dB bandwidth of the devices varies from ∼ 150 MHz to ∼ 700 MHz with different device diameters and saturates with bias voltage immediately after the device turn on. A new equivalent circuit model is developed to explain the frequency behavior of nBn photodetectors. The simulated bandwidth based on the new equivalent circuit model agrees well with the bandwidth and the microwave scattering parameter measurements. The analysis reveals that the limiting factor of the bandwidth of the nBn photodetector is the large diffusion capacitance caused by the minority carrier lifetime and the device area. Additionally, the bandwidth of the nBn photodetector is barely affected by the photocurrent, which is found to be caused by the barrier structure in the nBn photodetector.

 

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) has become an intriguing platform for integrated photonics for applications in communications, microwave photonics, and computing. Whereas, integrated devices including modulators, resonators, and lasers with high performance have been recently realized on the LNOI platform, high-speed photodetectors, an essential building block in photonic integrated circuits, have not been demonstrated on LNOI yet. Here, we demonstrate for the first time, heterogeneously integrated modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes on LNOI with a record-high bandwidth of 80 GHz and a responsivity of 0.6 A/W at a 1550-nm wavelength. The photodiodes are based on an n-down InGaAs/InP epitaxial layer structure that was optimized for high carrier transit time-limited bandwidth. Photodiode integration was achieved using a scalable wafer die bonding approach that is fully compatible with the LNOI platform.

 

Millimetre-wave (mmWave) technology continues to draw great interest due to its broad applications in wireless communications, radar, and spectroscopy. Compared to pure electronic solutions, photonic-based mmWave generation provides wide bandwidth, low power dissipation, and remoting through low-loss fibres. However, at high frequencies, two major challenges exist for the photonic system: the power roll-off of the photodiode, and the large signal linewidth derived directly from the lasers. Here, we demonstrate a new photonic mmWave platform combining integrated microresonator solitons and high-speed photodiodes to address the challenges in both power and coherence. The solitons, being inherently mode-locked, are measured to provide 5.8 dB additional gain through constructive interference among mmWave beatnotes, and the absolute mmWave power approaches the theoretical limit of conventional heterodyne detection at 100 GHz. In our free-running system, the soliton is capable of reducing the mmWave linewidth by two orders of magnitude from that of the pump laser. Our work leverages microresonator solitons and high-speed modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes to provide a viable path to chip-scale, high-power, low-noise, high-frequency sources for mmWave applications.