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Journal of Modern Optics

Eighty kilometre transmission experiment using an InGaAs/InP SPAD-based quantum cryptography receiver operating at 1.55 μm

Philip A. Hiskett, Gabriele Bonfrate, Gerald S. Buller, Paul D. Townsend

Published Nov 1, 2001• 23 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A polarization-based receiver for quantum key distribution incorporating an InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD) has been constructed to investigate the potential for increasing the transmission distance in long wavelength quantum key distribution systems beyond the 50km range.
DOI
10.1080/09500340108240899

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Quantum cryptography offers the unique possibility of certifiably secure key distribution between remote locations, practical systems require efficient, low noise, single photon avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) to achieve this goal. This letter reports experimental results from a polarization-encoded system utilizing a state-of-the-art silicon SPAD. The system is used to investigate the performance limits of quantum cryptography systems operating in the first optical fiber communication window at wavelengths around 0.8 μm. The results demonstrate the potential for secure quantum key distribution at Mb/spl middot/s1rates over fiber LANs also carrying conventional high-speed (Gb/spl middot/s1) data channels at a wavelength of 1.3 μm.
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We have demonstrated quantum key distribution (QKD) over 100 km using single-photon detectors based on InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes (APDs). We implemented the differential phase shift QKD (DPS-QKD) protocol with electrically cooled and 2-GHz sinusoidally gated APDs. The single-photon detector has a dark count probability of 2.8 × 10(-8) (55 counts per second) with a detection efficiency of 6 %, which enabled us to achieve 24 kbit/s secure key rate over 100 km of optical fiber. The DPS-QKD system offers better performances in a practical way than those achieved using superconducting single-photon detectors. Moreover, the distance that secure keys against the general individual attacks can be distributed has been extended to 160 km.