Title: Mitigating radiation damage of single photon detectors for space applications,
Abstract: Single-photon detectors in space must retain useful performance
characteristics despite being bombarded with sub-atomic particles. Mitigating
the effects of this space radiation is vital to enabling new space applications
which require high-fidelity single-photon detection. To this end, we conducted
proton radiation tests of various models of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and
one model of photomultiplier tube potentially suitable for satellite-based
quantum communications. The samples were irradiated with 106 MeV protons at
doses approximately equivalent to lifetimes of 0.6 , 6, 12 and 24 months in a
low-Earth polar orbit. Although most detection properties were preserved,
including efficiency, timing jitter and afterpulsing probability, all APD
samples demonstrated significant increases in dark count rate (DCR) due to
radiation-induced damage, many orders of magnitude higher than the 200 counts
per second (cps) required for ground-to-satellite quantum communications. We
then successfully demonstrated the mitigation of this DCR degradation through
the use of deep cooling, to as low as -86 degrees C. This achieved DCR below
the required 200 cps over the 24 months orbit duration. DCR was further reduced
by thermal annealing at temperatures of +50 to +100 degrees C.