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arXiv · 2411.04373

Differential absorption ozone Lidar with 4H-SiC single-photon detectors

Xian-Song Zhao·Chao Yu·Chong Wang·Tianyi Li·Bo Liu·Hai Lu·Rong Zhang·Xiankang Dou·Jun Zhang·Jian-Wei Pan
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Abstract

Differential absorption Lidar (DIAL) in the ultraviolet (UV) region is an effective approach for monitoring tropospheric ozone. 4H-SiC single-photon detectors (SPDs) are emergent devices for UV single-photon detection. Here, we demonstrate a 4H-SiC SPD-based ozone DIAL. We design and fabricate the 4H-SiC single-photon avalanche diode with a beveled mesa structure and optimized layer thickness. An active quenching circuit with a quenching time of 1.03 ns is developed to significantly mitigate the afterpulsing effect while enhancing the maximum count rate. After characterization, the SPD exhibits excellent performance with a photon detection efficiency of 16.6% at 266 nm, a dark count rate of 138 kcps, a maximum count rate of 13 Mcps, and an afterpulse probability of 2.7% at room temperature. Then, we apply two 4H-SiC SPDs in an ozone DIAL. The measured ozone concentrations at altitudes of 1-3.5 km agree well with the results of a commercial ozone DIAL. Our work provides an alternative solution for general UV Lidar applications.

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Xian-Song Zhao, Chao Yu, Chong Wang, Tianyi Li, Bo Liu, Hai Lu, Rong Zhang, Xiankang Dou, Jun Zhang, Jian-Wei Pan. 2024-11-07. Differential absorption ozone Lidar with 4H-SiC single-photon detectors. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0232210

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