Error performance analysis of a non-ideal photon counting array receiver system for optical wireless communication

Abstract

In order to detect weak light from background radiation, utilizing an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GM-APDs) as a detector in the receiver is researched. First, the principle of a GM-APD operated in gated mode is analyzed. Based on the Poisson random process of arrival of photons, the trigger probability of a single GM-APD has been computed. Then, according to the trigger probability, a new bit error rate (BER) model of a photon-counting array receiver system is built, and the expression of BER is derived based on the quantum efficiency, signal photons, background photons, dark carriers, and the number of GM-APDs in array. Using the BER expression, the error performance of a new photon-counting array receiver system can be predicted rapidly. Furthermore, the error performance of a system based on an array of GM-APDs is investigated. The simulation results indicated that maintaining the ratio of signal photons and background photons above 1 is necessary for system operation. When background noise is limited to the acceptable range, maintaining a certain scale of GM-APDs (above 20) in array can greatly reduce the demand of transmitting power. Compared with achieving target BERs of 10 and 10, preserving a BER of 10 and making use of error correction coding can further improve the receiving sensitivity to 5-8 dB.

Gate-Width Optimisation Based on Time-Gated Single Photon Avalanche Diode Receiver for Optical Wireless Communications

“…However, the lower bound of the SPAD receiver bit error rate (BER) is determined by the background light. The SPAD detector cannot distinguish the background photon and signal photon only in one individual avalanche pulse, which requires a longer symbol time to improve the accuracy of the signal transmission by recording a mass of pulse counts, resulting in a low data rate of the SPAD receiver [4]. In addition, the influence of dead time on SPAD communication performance cannot be ignored.…”