ACDET

Acousto-electric single-photon detector

ACDET-II

Funding agency: European Union, Framework 6

Duration: 1.1.2006-30.6.2009

This project aims at the development of a novel single-photon detector for applications in quantum information processing capable of discriminating the number of photons in a single light pulse. The operation of the detector is based on measurement of a number of electrons and the holes excited in a semiconductor layer by the incoming light pulse. The detector exploits the charge transport by a surface acoustic wave with the very high sensitivity charge detection by a single electron transistor (SET). Electrons and holes photo-excited within a wide photon absorption area are captured and transported by the SAW to microscopic charge detection regions, where they are detected by a radio-frequency SET. The EU-Consortium ACDET-II includes the following institutions: University of Cambridge (coordination), Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Chalmers University of Technology, University of Bristol, University of Valencia, and Thales/Alcatel.

The role of the PDI in this project is the investigation of the photon-to-carrier conversion as well as the acoustic transport efficiency of the detector. For that purpose, we have designed and fabricated the (Al,Ga)As layer structure of the detector and developed  a prototype, which detects transported charge using n- and p-type doped regions. 

See also: www.uv.es/acdet