Free-running InGaAs single photon detector with 1 dark count per second at 10% efficiency

Abstract

We present a free-running single photon detector for telecom wavelengths based on a negative feedback avalanche photodiode (NFAD). A dark count rate as low as 1 cps was obtained at a detection efficiency of 10%, with an afterpulse probability of 2.2% for 20 μs of deadtime. This was achieved by using an active hold-off circuit and cooling the NFAD with a free-piston stirling cooler down to temperatures of -110${}^o$C. We integrated two detectors into a practical, 625 MHz clocked quantum key distribution system. Stable, real-time key distribution in presence of 30 dB channel loss was possible, yielding a secret key rate of 350 bps.

4 pages, 4 figures

Cited by in corpus (31)

• Photonic quantum information processing: a review
• Provably Secure and Practical Quantum Key Distribution over 307 km of Optical Fibre
• Advances in InGaAs/InP single-photon detector systems for quantum communication
• Single-photon imaging over 200 km
• Trojan-horse attacks threaten the security of practical quantum cryptography
• Long-distance quantum key distribution secure against coherent attacks
• Recent advances and future perspectives of single-photon avalanche diodes for quantum photonics applications
• Quantifying photonic high-dimensional entanglement
• Finite-key analysis on the 1-decoy state QKD protocol
• Simple 2.5 GHz time-bin quantum key distribution
• Fully integrated free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon detector for accurate lidar applications
• InGaAs/InP single-photon detectors with 60% detection efficiency at 1550 nm
• Simple and high-speed polarization-based QKD
• Experimental transmission of quantum digital signatures over 90-km of installed optical fiber using a differential phase shift quantum key distribution system
• Compact and lightweight 1.5 μm lidar with a multi-mode fiber coupling free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon detector
• Detector-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution
• 1.25 GHz sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector with monolithically integrated readout circuit
• Up-conversion single-photon detectors based on integrated periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides
• Recent advances in InGaAs/InP single-photon detectors
• Optical control of single-photon negative-feedback avalanche diode detector
• Miniaturized high-frequency sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector
• Information processing at the speed of light
• Absolute calibration of fiber-coupled single-photon detector
• Detector-device-independent QKD: security analysis and fast implementation
• Compact InGaAs/InP single-photon detector module with ultra-narrowband interference circuits
• Compact free-running InGaAs/InP single-photon detector with 40% detection efficiency and 2.3 kcps dark count rate
• Liquid-nitrogen cooled, free-running single-photon sensitive detector at telecommunication wavelengths
• Differential absorption ozone Lidar with 4H-SiC single-photon detectors
• An Overview of the State of the Art for Practical Quantum Key Distribution
• Light Source Monitoring in Quantum Key Distribution with Single Photon Detector at Room Temperature
• Compact and fully functional high-frequency sine wave gating InGaAs/InP single-photon detector module