Datasheet: NIR InGaAs/InAlAs Avalanche Photodiodes In Hermetic Packages With Thermoelectric Cooling: Voxtel VFI-1XK0A Series

Voxtel's VFI-1000 series of reduced noise avalanche photodiodes (R-APDs) delivers high sensitivity and industry-leading low noise. Voxtel's VFI-1XK0A series consists of packaged versions the VFI-1000 InGaAs R-APD, in hermetic TO-8 cans with cooling provided by a 3-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC).

Voxtel's VFI-1000 R-APDs are designed to deliver the best possible sensitivity for high-bandwidth near infrared (NIR) and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) optical applications. With low avalanche noise and high quantum efficiency over the 950–1700 nm spectral band, including the eye-safe wavelengths above 1400 nm, the VFI-1000 InGaAs R-APDs provide enhanced responsivity relative to p-i-n photodiodes, with lower noise than conventional NIR APD designs. Voxtel's thin InAlAs multiplication region InGaAs APD technology suppresses the excess multiplication noise associated with the avalanche process, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the detector. Contemporary APDs achieve high responsivity through internal current gain, but the usefulness of the gain of these APDs is undermined by the accompanying noise. Voxtel's R-APDs can be operated at relatively high gain with a smaller noise penalty, providing a significant advantage. Coupling the R-APD to a low-noise amplifier produces a receiver with superior noise equivalent power and sensitivity.