Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) for Quantum Sensors

Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) for Quantum Sensors: Validation and characterisation of 40nm SPAD

Britton, Sander (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; TU Delft Quantum Integration Technology)
Nootenboom, Eva (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; TU Delft Quantum Integration Technology)
Janssen, Martijn (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; TU Delft Quantum Integration Technology)

Ishihara, R. (mentor)
Varveris, I. (mentor)
Wong, J.S.S.M. (graduation committee)
Alonso Del Pino, M. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Electrical Engineering

2023-06-28

Quantum sensing technology has emerged as a promising field with superior sensitivity and accuracy in magnetic field sensing compared to conventional technologies. This breakthrough offers significant prospects in the biomedical sector, particularly in the realm of medical imaging.

This project focuses on the implementation of quantum sensing using an array of single Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers combined with an array of Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs). SPADs are available in various technologies and forms. To identify the optimal SPAD for this specific application, different SPADs with diverse parameters are designed on a chip using standard 40 nm TSMC process. These parameters include active area, active area shape and metal shielding.

The research aims to validate and characterize the performance of these distinct SPADs. However, during the validation tests, it was observed that the SPADs did not meet the criteria. The presence of ESD diodes on the chip introduced a low resistance current path, thereby hindering the characterisation process of the SPADs. Solutions to fix this problem and improve the system are provided.

The documented validation methods include general chip testing, establishing the I-V curves of the SPADs and avalanche and quenching testing. In addition, the characterisation methods for junction capacitance, dark count rate (DCR), photon detection probability (PDP) and time jitter are given.

For characterizing DCR and PDP a readout system is designed. It consists of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), FPGA and Arduino. The data is communicated continuously to a PC. The ADC is not fully tested. On the other hand, the FPGA and Arduino are tested and verified to be sufficient for the DCR measurements. The readout system is too inaccurate for PDP measurements. A recommendation on how to make the readout system sufficient for PDP is given.

SPAD
SPAD Characterisation
SPAD Readout
NV centers

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:70495d7c-16b0-4939-979a-01ce16768380

Student theses

bachelor thesis

© 2023 Sander Britton, Eva Nootenboom, Martijn Janssen