Diode quenching for Geiger mode avalanche photodiode

Abstract

A resistive quenching element is a common passive device used in Geiger mode avalanche photodiode circuits. Both quenching voltage level and response time depend on the resistance value of the quenching resistor. A high resistance value of the quenching resistor increases the transient time due to the large RC time constant. In addition, the quenching voltage level depends on the photocurrent passing through the quenching resistor. In this work, a diode quenching element was proposed by which faster quenching speed was achieved with a constant quenching voltage level independent of the photocurrent level.