Laboratory characterization of silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD) for pulse position modulation (PPM) detection

Meera Srinivasan; Beckett Madden-Woods; Jon Hamkins; Abhijit Biswas

doi:10.1117/12.430790

20 June 2001 Laboratory characterization of silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD) for pulse position modulation (PPM) detection

Meera Srinivasan, Beckett Madden-Woods, Jon Hamkins, Abhijit Biswas

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4272, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XIII; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.430790
Event: Photonics West 2001 - LASE, 2001, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Two commercially available large area silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD) were characterized in the laboratory. The response of the APD's to a sequence of 8-bit pulse position modulated (256-PPM) laser pulses, with and without additive background noise, was recorded and stored for post analysis. Empirical probability density functions (pdf's) were constructed from the signal and noise slot data and compared to pdf's predicted by an analytical model based on Webb+Gaussian statistics. The pulse sequence was used to generate bit-error rate (BER) versus signal photons per pulse plots, albeit with large error bars due to the limited number of signal pulses stored. These BER measurements were also compared with analytical results obtained by using the Gaussian and Webb+Gaussian models for APD channel statistics. While the measurements qualitatively reflect features predicted by theory, significant quantitative deviations were displayed between the measurements and theory. The source of these discrepancies is not currently well understood, but it is surmised that inaccurate knowledge of detector parameters such as gain and noise equivalent temperature models may explain the discrepancies.

Citation Download Citation

Meera Srinivasan, Beckett Madden-Woods, Jon Hamkins, and Abhijit Biswas "Laboratory characterization of silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD) for pulse position modulation (PPM) detection", Proc. SPIE 4272, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XIII, (20 June 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.430790

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