Voxtel Demonstrates New Ultra-Low Noise Linear-mode APDs

May 15, 2007 – Beaverton, OR –Voxtel has demonstrated a new linear-mode APD design which combines the noise characteristics of silicon with the near infrared sensitivity of InGaAs. Unlike approaches in which a silicon multiplier is fused to a III-V absorber, Voxtel’s monolithic APD wafers are grown epitaxially on InP substrates, using only lattice-matched III-V alloys. Conventional III-V APDs which use InGaAs absorbers typically have bulk InP multiplication layers, characterized by an ionization coefficient ratio of k~0.4.

Voxtel and others sell advanced low-noise APDs which have thinner InAlAs multiplication layers, characterized by k~0.2. Voxtel has applied the same engineering principles to achieve k=0.02 at a gain of M=20 in its latest design. By way of comparison, a conventional InP APD has an excess noise factor of F~9.2 at M=20 and Voxtel’s k~0.2 design has F~5.6; Voxtel’s new design is characterized by F=2.3 at the same gain. This noise performance was found to be independent of temperature, and was measured for multiple samples between 77 K and 295 K.

About Voxtel, Inc.
Voxtel, Inc., Beaverton, OR, is a leading developer of sophisticated detectors and electro-optical imaging systems for a wide range of government, industrial, and scientific markets. Their product technologies include near-infrared laser radar (LADAR) receivers, radiation hardened imagers for space applications, highly sensitive avalanche photodiodes for fiber and freespace telecommunications, and nanotechnology-engineered materials. For more information, visit Voxtel’s website at www.voxtel-inc.com.

Voxtel, Inc.
12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 230
Beaverton, OR 97005
p. 971.223.5646
f. 971.327.7241
info@voxtel-inc.com
www.voxtel-inc.com