Buyer's Guide > Users > Product categories > photon counting detectors

Buying Photon Counting Detectors

Top-level product category: icon detectors and measurements

More general product categories: photodetectors

Related product categories: avalanche photodiodes, photomultipliers

Some particularly sensitive detectors are suitable for counting photons, typically using photomultipliers and Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes (SPADs). These detectors enable single-photon detection in various scientific and industrial applications.

Making Good Purchase Decisions

As the most professional photonics purchasing portal, RP Photonics helps you to not only to find all relevant suppliers (not limited to our advertisers), but also to make good purchasing decisions.

NEW: Structured Decision Process

Purchasing involves a lot of responsibility. We recommend that you apply best practice by using the following structured process: Go through the following expandable sections, complete the form and finally come to a purchase decision. You can then print that to a PDF for documenting the process.

Our article on best practices for purchasing and another one explaining this tool give you valuable insights.

1. Understand the technical background

It is important to sufficiently understand the technology before buying.

Use the comprehensive learning resources of RP Photonics:

photon counting photons avalanche photodiodes photomultipliers quantum efficiency

If you need personal help, contact RP Photonics to get technical consultancy.

I feel that I sufficiently understand the technical background.

2. Define your requirements

It is essential to fully understand and clearly define your requirements before you buy.

We recommend that you develop a list of clear specifications according to your specific needs, against which you can later check the suitability of found product offers:

To help you, we have already listed some aspects we recommend you consider when buying photon counting detectors. Of course, there may be other aspects that are relevant to your specific case.

This list is for your own preparation, and can later (possibly in modified form) be used for quotation requests to suppliers.

I think that I am sufficiently informed about our requirements.

Otherwise, you will need to talk to your technical colleagues.

I consider the above list of specifications to be sufficiently complete, clear and accurate.

If you cannot sufficiently clarify your requirements, you may want to get technical consultancy from RP Photonics.

Insert these criteria when creating inquiry mails to suppliers with the buttons "Get quotation".

You find these buttons in the supplier list below or under "3. Find suitable suppliers".

3. Find suitable suppliers

We suggest three steps:

Below, you can find our list of suppliers for photon counting detectors. Use the checkboxes to mark possibly suitable suppliers.
The selected suppliers will appear below this list, along with your list of specifications. You can then indicate which specifications they meet according to your research. (You should finalize your specifications before doing this.)
Based on the results, you can finally choose a supplier that is hopefully a good enough fit.

Selected suppliers:

(none so far)

Decision

The most suitable supplier you found:

Comments, e.g. reasons for your choice, or things which still need to be checked:

Suppliers for Photon Counting Detectors

28 suppliers for photon counting detectors are listed in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, out of which 2 present their product descriptions. Both manufacturers and distributors can be registered.

Suppliers with Advertising Package

presenting their product descriptions

Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Arzbergerstr. 10
82211 Herrsching
Germany

Profile page Website

The Hamamatsu Photonics MPPC (Multi-Pixel Photon Counter) is a device called SiPM, which is a photon counting device that is a multi-pixelized Geiger mode APD. While it is an optical semiconductor device, it has an excellent detection ability, so this device can be used in a variety of applications to detect very low-level light at the photon counting level.

Hamamatsu Photonics SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) is an element with a structure of a single pixel that combines a Geiger mode APD and a quenching resistor into one set. It is an optical semiconductor element that enables photon counting.

Product-specific web page

Enabling the SPAD revolution

Pi Imaging Technology SA
Bâtiment C, EPFL Innovation Park
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland

Profile page Website

SPAD 23 is a photon-counting array with 23 hexagonally packed single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) with best-in-class performance. The system software enables photon counting and time tagging and can be accessed through TCP/IP for easy integration into LabVIEW, MATLAB or Python. See our data sheet.

SPAD 512 is a camera integrating a 512×512 SPAD image sensor. Up to 100,000 fps in 1-bit mode enable high-speed imaging (photon-counting). Fine time gating enables the study of time-varying samples. See our data sheet.

SPAD Lambda is a linear detector with a 320×1 SPAD array. It features single-photon detectors (SPADs) enabling both photon-counting and photon-time tagging. This arrangement is ideal for spectral detection applications. Thanks to microlenses and state-of-the-art production facilities, this detector offers high detection efficiency. The detector is capable of both time gating and time stamping for the ultimate control over time-varying signals of interest. See our data sheet.