Detectors

A photon detector has a surface that absorbs photons and produces an effect (current, voltage) proportional to the number of photons absorbed or counted.

Devices cover a very broad spectrum, from Gamma to near Infrared, and use a variety of materials such as silicon, InGaAS, and hybrid materials.

Main applications are:

• New generation ultra-fast single-photon detectors are used for optical fiber communications, optical frequency metrology and for the characterization of pulsed lasers or laser noise.
• Imaging of infrared photoemission for defect analysis in CMOS circuitry, LIDAR, on-chip quantum optics, fibre optic temperature sensing, single plasmon detection, quantum plasmonics, quantum cryptography and quantum computing.