Hermetically Packaged NIR InGaAs/InAlAs APDs: Voxtel VFI-1XC0A Series
•Datasheet: Hermetically Packaged NIR InGaAs/InAlAs APDs: Voxtel VFI-1XC0A Series
Voxtel's VFI-1000 series of reduced noise avalanche photodiodes (R-APDs) delivers industry-leading low-noise performance in the near infrared. The VFI-1XC0A is a hermetically packaged version of Voxtel's R-APD, consisting of a high-speed InGaAs R-APD in a 3-pin TO-46 package.
The VFI-1000 R-APDs are designed to deliver the best possible sensitivity for high-bandwidth optical applications in the near infrared (NIR) and short wavelength infrared (SWIR). With low avalanche noise and high quantum efficiency over the 950–1700 nm spectral band, including the eye-safe wavelengths greater than 1400 nm, Voxtel's InGaAs R-APDs provide enhanced responsivity relative to p-i-n photodiodes and lower noise relative to conventional APDs.
APDs achieve high responsivity through internal current gain, but the usefulness of the gain provided by contemporary APDs is undermined by the noise that comes with it. Voxtel's InGaAs R-APD technology, with a thin InAlAs multiplication region, suppresses the excess multiplication noise associated with the avalanche process, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the detector (see the excess noise vs. gain plot in the datasheet). Lower avalanche noise allows the devices to operate at higher gain. The ability of Voxtel's R-APDs to be operated at high gain with a smaller noise penalty is a significant advantage in any application requiring a high signal-to-noise ratio. When coupled to a low-noise amplifier, these R-APDs produce receivers with superior noise equivalent power and sensitivity.
The VFI-1DC0A is a 25-µm R-APD in a TO-46 package. The 25-µm R-APD may also be purchased as individual die (VFI-1DA0A). VFI-1000 R-APDs are available in several packaged formats, including TO-8 cans with cooled 75-µm and 200-µm APDs.
Features:
- Hermetically packaged reduced-noise NIR InGaAs avalanche photodiode (R-APD)
- Available in 25-, 75-, and 200-µm diameters
- Low keff ~ 0.20, resulting in low excess noise
- 950–1700 nm spectral response
- Low dark current and low excess noise combine for superior sensitivity not achieved with contemporary APDs
- High-quality epitaxial InGaAs/InAlAs APD device structure grown on InP substrates by MOCVD
- TO-46 packaging options include a broadband double-sided AR-coated flat window, or a lensed cap to enhance coupling efficiency
Applications:
- Free-space optical communications
- Laser range finding
- Optical time domain reflectometry
- Optical coherence tomography
- Fluorescence measurements, spectroscopy, chromatography, electrophoresis
- Replacement for photomultiplier tubes
•Datasheet: Hermetically Packaged NIR InGaAs/InAlAs APDs: Voxtel VFI-1XC0A Series