Title :
Low noise avalanche photodiodes
Author_Institution :
University of Sheffield, USA
Abstract :
Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are used in many applications when conventional unit y gain photodiodes cannot provide enough sensitivity and the extra amplification provided by the impact ionization process gives it an advantage. Unfortunately this amplification or gain of the incoming optical signal is always accompanied by some ´excess noise´ due to the stochastic nature of the ionization process and sets a limit to the maximum useful gain.
Keywords :
amplification; avalanche photodiodes; electron impact ionisation; stochastic processes; ´excess noise´; III-V materials; amplification; avalanche photodiodes; electric field; electron ionization coefficient; hole ionization coefficient; impact ionization; low noise; optical signal; semiconductor material; stochasticity; Avalanche photodiodes; Electron optics; III-V semiconductor materials; Impact ionization; Noise reduction; Optical noise; Optical sensors; Signal processing; Stimulated emission; Stochastic resonance;
Conference_Titel :
Semiconductor Electronics, 2008. ICSE 2008. IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Johor Bahru
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3873-0
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2561-7
DOI :
10.1109/SMELEC.2008.4770263
