Ultra-low-noise high-speed single-photon detection using a sinusoidally gated InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode

We report an ultra-low-noise single-photon detection at 1550nm using a 1-GHz sinusoidally gated InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode. The avalanche photodiode was operated in a low temperature regime ( > 183 K) which can be achieved by a simple electrical cooling system. At 183 K, the dark count probability can be reduced to 2.0×10^-7 with a detection efficiency of 9.6 %, while the afterpulsing probability remained at a low value (3 %).