Phlux Unveils Cutting-Edge Noiseless InGaAs APD IR Sensors

Phlux Technology, a manufacturer of avalanche photodiode (APD) infrared sensors, is excited to announce its first products, the Aura family of 1550 nm devices based on the company’s Noiseless InGaAs APD technology.

The Aura sensors are a significant advancement in sensitivity, being 12 times more sensitive than traditional InGaAs APDs. This breakthrough allows for an extended operating range of LiDAR, laser rangefinders, and optical fiber test equipment by up to 50%. The best part is that Phlux sensors can be easily integrated as drop-in replacements for existing surface mount or TO-packaged components.

In addition to the extended operating range, the Aura sensors offer several other benefits. They enable 12 times greater LiDAR image resolution for a given laser power in new designs. This results in up to 30% reduction in system size and weight, as well as up to 40% lower system costs. These size and cost reductions are achieved by using lower-power lasers and smaller optical apertures without compromising system performance. Furthermore, thermal management is simplified because Aura APDs can operate at temperatures up to +85 °C without any performance degradation, which is significantly higher than traditional parts.

Phlux CEO Ben White states, “Our Noiseless APD technology is a step-function leap in performance and provides tangible benefits for any company involved with 1550 nm lasers. Automotive LiDAR is an exciting application where the move from 905 nm to 1550 nm lasers is accelerating, not least because the latter is considered ‘eye-safe’. However, there are also huge opportunities for our products in telecommunications, laser rangefinders, imaging, spectroscopy, gas sensing, and optical fiber test equipment, particularly optical time domain reflectometers.”

Phlux developed its Noiseless InGaAs APD technology by incorporating an antimony alloy into the compound semiconductor manufacturing process. The resulting sensors can be operated with APD gains up to 120, allowing even the smallest signals above the noise floor of a connected trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) to be amplified. Another advantage of Aura APDs is their rapid overload recovery, enabling the detection of weaker secondary pulses that closely follow a large pulse.

The Aura APD 200 (200 µm optical aperture) and Aura APD 80 (80 µm optical aperture) sensors are available as bare die or in industry-standard SMD, chip on sub-mount, and TO-46 packages designed to meet MIL-STD 883 specifications. Typical parameters for both devices include a responsivity of 0.98 A/W at 1550 nm, a spectral range of 950 nm to 1700 nm, and an excess noise factor of 1.86 at an avalanche gain of 40, or 1.08 at an avalanche gain of 10.

At a gain of 10, the noise equivalent power for the Aura APD 200 diode is 17 fW/Hz0.5, with a capacitance of 2.4 pF and a cut-off frequency of 0.7 GHz. The equivalent figures for the Aura APD 80 are 11.1 fW/Hz0.5, 0.6 pF, and 1.8 GHz. Both devices have a typical operating voltage of -55 to -65 V and a breakdown voltage of -65 V. Their operating temperature range is -40 °C to +85 °C.

The Aura sensors are currently in production and data sheets can be downloaded here.