Transient measurements and mixed quenching, active resetting circuit for SPAD in $0.35\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ high-voltage CMOS for achieving 218 Mcps
A fully integrated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) using a controllable fast mixed quenching and active resetting circuit (QRC) fabricated in a $0.35-\mu\mathrm{m}$ high-voltage CMOS process is presented in this paper. The QRC features a fast active quenching time of 0.52 ns and a minimum dead-time of 4.57 ns, which corresponds to a maximum count rate of 218 Mcps. To validate the quenching performance, the circuit was integrated together with a large-area SPAD having an active diameter of $90\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ with a capacitance of 150 fF. A pad for a pico-probe was integrated on the chip, leading to a total capacitive load of 275 fF in SPAD cathode's node during transient measurements.