Arabskyj, Luke, Dolan, Philip R., Parke, Adam L. et al. (6 more authors) (2024) Traceable characterisation of fibre-coupled single-photon detectors. Metrologia. 055008. ISSN 1681-7575
Abstract
The detection of single photons plays an essential role in advancing single-photon science and technologies. Yet, within the visible/near-infrared spectral region, accurate fibre-based optical power measurements at the few-photon level are not yet well-established. In this study, we report on a fibre-based setup, enabling traceable optical power measurements at the few-photon level in this spectral region. The setup was used to calibrate the detection efficiency (DE) of four single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors. The relative standard uncertainties on the mean DE values obtained from repeat fibre-to-detector couplings ranged from 0.67% to 0.81% (k = 2). However, the relative standard deviation of DE values, which ranged from 1.38% to 3.20% (k = 2), poses a challenge for the metrology of these devices and applications that require high accuracy and repeatability. We investigated the source of these variations by spatially mapping the response of a detector’s fibre connector port, using a focused free-space beam, allowing us to estimate the detector’s spatial non-uniformity. In addition, we realise a novel calibration approach for fibre-coupled SPADs in a free-space configuration, enabling a direct comparison between the fibre-based setup and the National Physical Laboratory’s established free-space facility using a single SPAD. Finally, we investigated alternative coupling methods, testing the repeatability of different fibre-to-fibre connectors in addition to direct fibre-to-detector couplings: SPADs from three manufacturers were tested, with both single-mode and multi-mode fibre.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published on behalf of BIPM by IOP Publishing Ltd |
Keywords: | detection efficiency,detector calibration,fibre-coupled,repeatability,SI traceable,Si-SPAD,single-photon avalanche diode |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2024 12:50 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 18:15 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1681-7575/ad70bc |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1088/1681-7575/ad70bc |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217592 |
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