New materials for photon counting avalanche photodiodes

The experimental results acquired on avalanche photodiodes based on III-V semiconductor materials and operated as single photon counters with picosecond timing resolution are reported. The semiconductor structures fabricated on the basis of GaAs, GaP and GaAsP have been operated in a Geiger mode and employed in a photon counting experiment at the wavelengths from near ultraviolet to near infrared. The dark count rates, photon counting sensitivity and timing resolution have been measured for the experimental diode samples.