Developments in HgCdTe avalanche photodiode technology and applications

SELEX Galileo has developed avalanche photodiode technology in HgCdTe to serve a whole range of applications in defence, security, commercial and space research. Burst-illumination LIDAR (BIL), using a near-infrared pulse laser and a fast, gated detector, is now adopted for most long range imaging applications. New results from range trials using prototype systems based on multifunctional and 3D detectors are reported. In the astronomy field, APD arrays at 2.5 mu m cutoff can provide near-single photon sensitivity for future wavefront sensors and interferometric applications. Under a contract from European Southern Observatories arrays have been successfully demonstrated with gains up to 20x and negligible dark current at 77K. Under a European Space Agency contract, a large area, single element detector has been designed for the 2.015 mu m CO(2) absorption line. The sensor is specifically designed to be operated at 200K so that thermoelectric cooling is viable. The element is made up of many sub-pixel diodes each deselectable to ensure high breakdown in the macro-pixel. The latest results of the detector and its associated transimpedance amplifier (TIA) are presented.