Photodetector Noise Research Articles

Simulation and analysis of the CO2 range-resolved differential absorption lidar system at 2 μm

The range-resolved differential absorption lidar is a high-precision device to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide. This paper provides a system-wide theoretical analysis method for the performance analysis and parameter optimization of the lidar system using the given parameter range. The scattered echo signal, signal-to-noise ratio, and detection sensitivity were simulated by setting assumed parameters with the HITRAN 2020 database and the US 1976 standard atmosphere model to analyze the detection distance and concentration resolution of the lidar system. The effects of the laser energy, repetition frequency, and photodetector noise were also discussed. The wavelength selection near the absorption line is critical because it controls the height region of the highest sensitivity and the demands on frequency stability. Recommendations for the selection of absorption lines are provided in this paper. A quantitative analysis of each error source provided reasonable error ranges.

Dynamic imaging of micro-vibrations with an ultra-wide bandwidth and a femtometer noise using switchable pulsed laser interferometry

Imaging the complex dynamics of micro-vibrations plays a fundamental role in the investigation of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). However, it remains a challenge for achieving both a wide bandwidth and a low noise due to the high photodetector noise and electromagnetic interference at GHz frequencies. Here, we propose a pulsed laser interferometry system with an adaptable switch to image GHz vibrations based on stroboscopic mixing, while measuring lower-frequency vibrations based on the homodyne scheme. The noise power spectral density is shown in both regions from DC to 10 GHz with an average noise down to 30.8 fm/√Hz at GHz frequencies, which holds the highest resolution to the best of our knowledge. Vibrational amplitude and phase mappings of a kHz comb-drive resonator, a GHz piezoelectric transducer, and a GHz film bulk acoustic resonator are presented with animated visualizations and k-space analysis, paving a new paradigm for the first time to image and analyze various MEMS devices of a bandwidth spanning 10 orders of magnitude.

A high-fidelity numerical model of coherent Φ-OTDR

The existing coherent phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (φ-OTDR) model does not systematically consider the impact of various disturbances and noises. More importantly, it cannot effectively simulate low-frequency vibrations. To address this issue, a high-fidelity model is proposed. Unlike the existing models, the proposed model comprehensively considers interference fading, polarization fading, the frequency drift and phase noise of the laser, and the balanced photodetector (BPD) noise, which can effectively simulate the impact of various disturbances and noises on the Rayleigh backscattering (RBS) signals during actual measurement. Quantitative analysis and comparison between the demodulation results of the measured and the numerically generated RBS signals based on the existing and proposed models with 1 kHz, 5 Hz and 1 Hz vibrations show that the proposed model is closer to the experimental system in terms of vibration demodulation results than the existing model.

Interface engineering by constructing vertical junction for reduced noise and improved sensitivity in 2D photodetector

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely demonstrated as promising candidates for next generation photodetectors, while the noticeable channel current is still a limiting factor for photodetection sensitivity. In this work, the interface engineering has been developed by constructing a vertical pn and Schottky junction in the 2D WS2 channel, resulting in a reduced dark current and noise spectral density, significantly improving the sensitivity. Specifically, the WS2 bottom surface is coupled with p-type tellurium (Te) nanoribbon and gold (Au) stripes, thus a vertical pn and Schottky junction can be constructed at WS2/Te and WS2/Au interface, respectively. In both device architectures, the dark current and electric noise are much suppressed due to the formation of depletion region in WS2 channel. Meanwhile, the out-of-plane built-in electric field at junction can facilitate the separation of photo-excited electron–hole pairs, which subsequently yields a faster temporal response. For the WS2/Au device, the incident light can be reflected by the bottom Au and propagate through the WS2 layer again, further boosting the photo-absorption, thus the photodetection sensitivity. The engineered WS2 photodetectors exhibit the noise spectral density as low as 5.36 × 10−14 A Hz−1/2 and high specific detectivity (D*) up to 1.12 × 1011 Jones, which has one–two orders of magnitude improvement compared to the pristine device. This work provides an effective and universal interface engineering strategy to achieve low noise and high sensitivity in 2D photodetectors.

Differential perovskite hemispherical photodetector for intelligent imaging and location tracking

Advanced photodetectors with intelligent functions are expected to take an important role in future technology. However, completing complex detection tasks within a limited number of pixels is still challenging. Here, we report a differential perovskite hemispherical photodetector serving as a smart locator for intelligent imaging and location tracking. The high external quantum efficiency (~1000%) and low noise (10−13 A Hz−0.5) of perovskite hemispherical photodetector enable stable and large variations in signal response. Analysing the differential light response of only 8 pixels with the computer algorithm can realize the capability of colorful imaging and a computational spectral resolution of 4.7 nm in a low-cost and lensless device geometry. Through machine learning to mimic the differential current signal under different applied biases, one more dimensional detection information can be recorded, for dynamically tracking the running trajectory of an object in a three-dimensional space or two-dimensional plane with a color classification function.

Surface Microstructure Engineering in MAPbBr3 Microsheets for Performance-Enhanced Photodetectors.

Metal halide-perovskite-based photodetectors have recently emerged as a class of promising optoelectronic devices in various fields. Meanwhile, nano/microstructuring perovskite-based photodetectors are a facile integration with complementary metal-oxide semiconductors for miniaturized imaging systems. However, there are still challenges to be overcome in reducing the losses caused by light reflection on the surface of microstructural perovskites. In this work, surface microstructure engineering is employed in MAPbBr3 microsheets for reducing light reflection and improving light absorption, resulting in high-performance perovskite photodetectors. MAPbBr3 microsheets, which possess different surface morphologies of flat, upright hemisphere arrays and inverted hemisphere arrays (IHAs), are fabricated by a simple microstructure template-assisted space confinement process. The light absorption capacity of IHA MAPbBr3 is significantly higher than that of the other two structures. Hence, IHA photodetectors with excellent figures of merit, including low dark current, decent responsivity, and fast speed, are achieved. Furthermore, the noise of the IHA photodetectors is only ∼10-13 A/, which results in the superior sensitivity for weak light detection with a specific detectivity up to 1011 Jones. Our results demonstrate that surface engineering is a simple, low-cost, yet effective approach to improve the performance of nano-/micro-optoelectronic devices.

Sb-Based Low-Noise Avalanche Photodiodes

Accurate detection of weak optical signals is a key function for a wide range of applications. A key performance parameter is the receiver signal-to-noise ratio, which depends on the noise of the photodetector and the following electrical circuitry. The circuit noise is typically larger than the noise of photodetectors that do not have internal gain. As a result, a detector that provides signal gain can achieve higher sensitivity. This is accomplished by increasing the photodetector gain until the noise associated with the gain mechanism is comparable to that of the output electrical circuit. For avalanche photodiodes (APDs), the noise that arises from the gain mechanism, impact ionization, increases with gain and depends on the material from which the APD is fabricated. Si APDs have established the state-of-the-art for low-noise gain for the past five decades. Recently, APDs fabricated from two Sb-based III-V compound quaternary materials, AlxIn1-xAsySb1-y and AlxGa1-xAsySb1-y, have achieved noise characteristics comparable to those of Si APDs with the added benefit that they can operate in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) and extended SWIR spectral regions. This paper describes the materials and device characteristics of these APDs and their performance in different spectral regions.

Applying 2DEG in High‐Performance Mid‐Infrared Photodetection

AbstractHigh‐speed and highly sensitive infrared photodetectors are regarded as one of the most essential components in modern photonic devices and technology because of constantly emerging application scenarios. In this paper, an ultrafast and extremely low noise mid‐infrared (MIR) photodetector is reported at both room and cryogenic temperatures by leveraging the high‐mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) at the polar CdTe/PbTe heterostructure interface. The detector simultaneously exhibits a peak detectivity of ≈4.2 × 1011 Jones with rapid response in the order of 10 ns, which is substantially superior to the state‐of‐the‐art 2DEG MIR detectors made of 2D layered materials. The ultrafast response with extremely low noise of the 2DEG photodetector is attributed to the unique band alignment at the interface. The practical infrared imaging application is further showcased using the 2DEG MIR detector by revealing the fine features of a MIR radiation target. This work highlights the promising prospect of utilizing the unique 2DEG interface in the field of high‐speed and highly sensitive MIR detection.

КОНЦЕПЦИЯ ДВУХКАНАЛЬНОГО ИНФРАКРАСНОГО ЛИДАРА ДЛЯ МОНИТОРИНГА ПАРНИКОВЫХ ГАЗОВ В ПРИЗЕМНОМ СЛОЕ АТМОСФЕРЫ

The results of calculating the atmospheric transmission spectrum and modeling lidar signals in the informative range of greenhouse gases (CO2, H2O) sounding on horizontal tropospheric paths using the two-channel infrared lidar system under development are presented. It is shown that the spectral range of operation of the lidar system 4878–4894 cm-1 (2043–2050 nm) is preferable for simultaneous probing of CO2 and H2O. In this range, the level of lidar signals lies in the range of 10–6–10–10 W and exceeds the equivalent power photodetector noise. Based on the results of the calculations, the technical appearance of the developed two-channel infrared lidar system was determined.

A Fast-Response Ultraviolet Phototransistor with a PVK QDs/ZnO Nanowire Heterostructure and Its Application in Pharmaceutical Solute Detection.

The sensitivity and photoelectric noise of UV photodetectors are challenges that need to be overcome in pharmaceutical solute detection applications. This paper presents a new device concept for a CsPbBr3 QDs/ZnO nanowire heterojunction structure for phototransistors. The lattice match of the CsPbBr3 QDs and ZnO nanowire reduces the generation of trap centers and avoids carrier absorption by the composite center, which greatly improves the carrier mobility and high detectivity (8.13 × 1014 Jones). It is worth noting that by using high-efficiency PVK quantum dots as the intrinsic sensing core, the device has a high responsivity (6381 A/W) and responsivity frequency (300 Hz). Thus, a UV detection system for pharmaceutical solute detection is demonstrated, and the type of solute in the chemical solution is estimated by the waveform and the size of the output 2f signals.

Sub-nanometer measurement of transient structural changes in dye-doped polystyrene microspheres

We present an interferometric spectral-domain optical coherence tomography microscopy setup to detect structural changes using interference of light reflected from different interfaces of the sample. We induce a reproducible nanometer-scale size change in dye-doped 10-µm polystyrene microspheres by the release of Stokes shift energy of dye molecules inside the microspheres, excited by a modulated 532-nm laser. The resulting optical path length difference was measured with a sensitivity of 0.4 p m / H z limited by photodetection noise, and reveals elastic as well as inelastic responses, which opens up possibilities for measuring the response of cell-sized biological objects.

Corrections to “Origin of the Low-Frequency 1/f Noise of a Photoelectrochemical Photodetector” [Nov 22 6184-6187

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Analysis of crosstalk effects in phase-OTDR system using fiber Bragg grating array

In this paper, the parasitic components (i.e., multi-reflections, Rayleigh scattering, photodetector noise, and phase variations due to external perturbations) are analysed and based on this analysis, a new signal to noise ratio (SNR) definition is provided suitable for the FBG-assisted Phase-OTDR system. A detailed analysis of performance parameters in the presence of multi reflection crosstalk (including its first- and second-order components) and spectral shadowing crosstalk is presented. SNR was calculated for different reflectivity and spacing lengths showing that the maximum number of cascaded FBGs can be significantly increased by using lower FBG reflectivity. It was also observed that the spacing length distance does not have a significant impact on the maximum number of FBGs that can be interrogated. By comparing single-pulse and double-pulse configurations, the use of double pulse was shown to provide higher SNR values when the number of FBGs is around 100 FBGs. The multi-reflection crosstalk when combined with the spectral-shadowing effect was demonstrated to create secondary crosstalk components making the interpretation of spectral analysis more difficult.

Constant amplitude modulation heterodyne interferometry.

Laser interferometer with picometer precision is a key technology in the space gravitational wave detection. Many interferometry strategies have been put forward for the multiple purposes in the past 10 yr. We propose a new interferometry method, called constant amplitude modulation (CAM) heterodyne interferometry. Differently, the CAM provides an optical pilot tone (OPT) for the noise correction theme. Compared with the analog pilot tone, the OPT can record and correct more noises, such as the analog to digital converter sampling jitter, the photodetector noise and the analog front-end noise. From the discussion, the modulated depth ϕmodulate=1.375 rad and the power ratio of the beam split n=0.432 are the best choice for the CAM-modulated parameter. Moreover, a simulated case has been implemented for the verification of the CAM strategy. Therefore, the CAM gives us another excellent choice in the optical design of the interferometer.

Unraveling the Effect of Halogen Ion Substitution on the Noise of Perovskite Single-Crystal Photodetectors.

Halide mixing in perovskites has been an efficient way to engineer the bandgap, stability, and charge carrier mobility of lead halide perovskites, while its effect on the noise of lead halide perovskite photodetectors is still unknown. We present the preparation of mixed halide methylammonium lead perovskite single crystals by the solution temperature-decreasing method. Planar-structured photodetectors were constructed on the basis of these mixed halide perovskite single crystals. The effect of halogen ion substitution on the noise of devices was investigated by analyzing their dark current spectra. It is shown that the single-crystal photodetectors with higher levels of chloride suffer from larger noise thus have lower detectivity. Density functional theory calculations have also been proposed to reveal the effect of halogens on band structure. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of mixed halide perovskites and may help in the design and preparation of higher-performance devices.

Modeling the factors that determine the accuracy of the range measuring using active-pulse television measuring systems

The article describes the operation principles of the active-pulse television measuring system and the method of measuring the range by using it. The results of modeling and the effect of control impulse jitter and photodetector noise on the range measurement accuracy are presented. Based on the simulation results, the dependence of the range measurement error on the value of the jitter of the control pulses and the noise of the photodetector was established. A decrease in the accuracy of measuring the range with an increase in the jitter values of the control pulses and the noise of the photodetector was established.

Quantum correlation measurement of laser power noise below shot noise

In this article, the quantum correlation measurement technique as a method of power noise monitoring is investigated. Its principal idea of correlating two photodetector signals is introduced and contrasted to the conventional approach, which uses only a single photodetector. We discuss how this scheme can be used to obtain power noise information below the shot noise of the detected beam and also below the electronic dark noise of the individual photodetectors, both of which is not possible with the conventional approach. Furthermore, experimental results are presented, that demonstrate a detection of technical laser power noise one order of magnitude below the shot noise of the detected beam.

Printable Organic PIN Phototransistor and Its Application for Low Power and Noise Imaging Detection

The power consumption and the opto-electric noise of organic photo-detectors are the challenges for large-scale detecting and imaging applications to surpass. This article presents a new device concept of organic heterojunction PIN channel for photo-transistor. The presence of the channel's heterostructure enables rectifying capability and effective control of defect density, which leads to low power consumption (0.12 to 7.5 nW) and low dynamic noise (4.5 × 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">13</sup> Jones detectivity). Significantly, through adopting the highly efficient Perovskite Quantum Dots as intrinsic sensing core, the device exhibits high responsivity up to 7190 A/W. As we demonstrate a large-scale 10 × 20 imaging array with integrated photo-transistor, the output signals are read-out and rebuilt by I-V converting amplifier with analog-to-digital circuit and numerical computation method to visualize the functionality of the system.

A Convolution Neural Network Implemented by Three 3 × 3 Photonic Integrated Reconfigurable Linear Processors

The convolution neural network (CNN) is a classical neural network with advantages in image processing. The use of multiport optical interferometric linear structures in neural networks has recently attracted a great deal of attention. Here, we use three 3 × 3 reconfigurable optical processors, based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs), to implement a two-layer CNN. To circumvent the random phase errors originating from the fabrication process, MZIs are calibrated before the classification experiment. The MNIST datasets and Fashion-MNIST datasets are used to verify the classification accuracy. The optical processor achieves 86.9% accuracy on the MNIST datasets and 79.3% accuracy on the Fashion-MNIST datasets. Experiments show that we can improve the classification accuracy by reducing phase errors of MZIs and photodetector (PD) noises. In the future, our work provides a way to embed the optical processor in CNN to compute matrix multiplication.

Highly Sensitive UV–Vis‐to‐Near‐Infrared Organic Photodetectors Employing ZnO: Polyethylenimine Ethoxylated Composite as Hole‐Blocking Layer

Significantly suppressed leakage current and reduced shot noise in organic photodetectors (OPDs) are achieved by employing charge blocking layers, which have led to tremendous advances in highly sensitive devices with photoresponse covering from the ultraviolet to near‐infrared regions. However, trap‐assisted charge carrier injection through tunneling can significantly contribute to the sources of leakage current upon the use of charge blocking layers. Herein, it is shown that leakage current in organic photodetectors can be effectively reduced to an intrinsic lower limit by using a composite hole blocking layer (HBL) that consists of zinc oxide (ZnO) blended with different weight concentration of polymer polyethylenimine ethoxylated (PEIE). The best device shows an ultralow dark current density down to 0.18 nA cm−2, which translates to high specific detectivity (D*) over 1 × 1013 Jones in broad response range from 340 to 1100 nm (with peak value of 4.2 × 1013 Jones at 940 nm and 3.5 × 1013 Jones at 1050 nm), approaching to the intrinsic dark current‐limited detectivity value. It is found that the incorporated N atoms fill the deficient site of oxygen in ZnO, thus giving rise to the reduced proportion of emission via defects.