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IOP Science

Wavelength-scanning calibration of detection efficiency of single photon detectors by direct comparison with a photodiode

Authors Hee Jung Lee, Seongchong Park, Hee Su Park, Kee Suk Hong, Dong-Hoon Lee, Heonoh Kim, Myoungsik Cha and Han Seb Moon

Abstract

We present a practical calibration method of the detection efficiency (DE) of single photon detectors (SPDs) in a wide wavelength range from 480 nm to 840 nm. The setup consists of a GaN laser diode emitting a broadband luminescence, a tunable bandpass filter, a beam splitter, and a switched integrating amplifier which can measure the photocurrent down to the 100 fA level. The SPD under test with a fibre-coupled beam input is directly compared with a reference photodiode without using any calibrated attenuator. The relative standard uncertainty of the DE of the SPD is evaluated to be from 0.8% to 2.2% varying with wavelength (k  =  1).

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