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Optics Express

Balanced homodyne detection with high common mode rejection ratio based on parameter compensation of two arbitrary photodiodes

Xiaoli Jin, Jing Su, Yaohui Zheng, Chaoyong Chen, Wenzhe Wang, Kunchi Peng

Published Sep 2, 2015• 74 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A balanced homodyne detector, with a maximum common mode rejection ratio and clearance of 75.2 dB and 37 dB, is experimentally obtained with two arbitrary photodiodes of the same model. On the basis of self-subtraction photodetector scheme, we divide the influence of photodiodes on the common mode rejection ratio into two parts, including magnitude and phase of output signal. The discrepancy of quantum efficiency and dark current affects magnitude of output signal of photodiodes, which is compensated by adjusting the splitter ratio. The difference of the equivalent capacitance and resistance affects the phase of output signal of photodiodes, which is compensated by the differential fine tuning circuit and adjustable bias voltage circuit. With these designs, the developed homodyne detector can be used for measuring accurately the squeezed state.

DOI
10.1364/oe.23.023859

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A balanced homodyne detector, with a maximum common mode rejection ratio and clearance of 75.2 dB and 37 dB, is experimentally obtained with two arbitrary photodiodes of the same model. On the basis of self-subtraction photodetector scheme, we divide the influence of photodiodes on the common mode rejection ratio into two parts, including magnitude and phase of output signal. The discrepancy of quantum efficiency and dark current affects magnitude of output signal of photodiodes, which is compensated by adjusting the splitter ratio. The difference of the equivalent capacitance and resistance affects the phase of output signal of photodiodes, which is compensated by the differential fine tuning circuit and adjustable bias voltage circuit. With these designs, the developed homodyne detector can be used for measuring accurately the squeezed state.
The study, generation, and application of squeezed states of light has been a widely researched area in quantum optics. Vacuum fluctuations or photon shot noise quantified in terms of quadrature operators, impose a quantum limit on the sensitivity of quantum sensing and quantum communication systems. Thus, squeezing the quadratures reduces the quantum uncertainty in a particular quadrature. The amount of squeezing is, however, highly limited by the optics in the experiments and the performance of the balanced homodyne detection (BHD) systems employed for the detection of the squeezed states of light. In this paper, we have analytically studied the steady state, transient and noise responses of the balanced homodyne detection (BHD) circuitry by comparing two configurations i.e., a variable gain circuit with a differential amplifier and a current subtracting circuit with differential fine-tuning circuit (DFTC) and an adjustable bias (ABV). The current subtracting circuit design with DFTC and ABV has been adopted from Xiaoli et al. [1] in order to compensate for any differences in the photodiode performance characteristics in the two arms. A variable gain configuration is used to compensate for the unequal beam splitter ratio and uneven optical powers in the two arms. In order to further improve the noise performance of the system, a differential amplifier is used in the output of the variable gain configuration. A high transimpedance gain (~>70 dB) and a low noise (~<500nV/ √ Hz) performance can be achieved using these circuits as per our analysis.
We present a high-performance, fully discrete balanced homodyne detector (BHD) with a 2.5 GHz bandwidth, exceptional gain flatness, and superior common-mode rejection ratio. The design leverages a Rogers 4350B-based printed circuit board, a broadband multi-section RF choke bias network, and inter-stage π-section attenuators, complemented by precise photodiode matching and phase-magnitude compensation to ensure signal integrity and suppress common-mode noise. Experimental results show a -3 dB bandwidth of 2.5 GHz and 1 dB gain flatness up to 2.4 GHz-significantly exceeding our prior 1.55 GHz/1.4 GHz implementation and representing state-of-the-art performance among discrete BHDs. At 16 mW optical input, the detector delivers a 16.5 dB signal-to-noise ratio at 2 GHz while maintaining excellent linearity, and achieves a 66 dB common-mode rejection ratio at the same frequency. This cost-effective and flexible BHD is ideally suited for high-speed continuous-variable quantum key distribution and quantum random number generation.
Quantum receiver scalability and cost-effectiveness are crucial in the evolving quantum landscape. Application based on squeezed light (e.g. high-precision measurements and quantum communication), can profit especially from integrated and low-noise detectors. The presented die-level receiver is shown in figure 1 a) and combines a novel custom transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with commercial photodiodes (PDs) [1]. This offers a more scalable solution than bulk balanced homodyne detectors (BHDs) while being low-cost compared to fully customized receivers. This design targets a high bandwidth operation while maintaining low-noise properties for the detection of weak quantum signals. To characterize this receiver, we evaluate its performance through measurements of clearance, and common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR). Based on these parameters, a simulation for its performance in the squeezed light detection measurement is presented.
Squeezing-based quantum metrology has been extensively applied in the field of precision measurement. Performance characteristics of squeezed light are obtained by a balanced homodyne detector. Here, we report a large dynamic range balanced homodyne detector with low-noise and high-signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for broadband squeezed light measurement. We perform a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the SNR in a wide bandwidth and experimentally analyze the important printed circuit board (PCB) layout and electronic components. Consequently, in the 100 MHz frequency band, the SNR and common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) rise over 12.6 dB and 55 dB, respectively, and the electronic noise is suppressed below -90 dB. The directly observed squeezing level at 1550 nm with the specified detector is 11.8 dB at 2 MHz and 3.1 dB at 100 MHz.
We present an ultrastable fiber-based time-domain balanced homodyne detector which can be used for precise characterization of pulsed quantum light fields. A variable optical attenuator based on bending the fiber is utilized to compensate for the different quantum efficiencies of the photodiodes precisely, and a common mode rejection ratio of above 76 dB is achieved. The detector has a gain of 3.2 μV per photon and a signal-to-noise ratio above 20 dB. Optical pulses with repetition rates up to 2 MHz can be measured with a detection efficiency of 66%. The stability of the detector is analyzed via an Allan variance measurement and the detector exhibits superior stability which enables a 100-s window for measurement without calibration.
We design and experimentally characterize a balanced homodyne detector optimized for high-repetition-rate (100 MHz) pulsed optical sources. Unlike conventional transimpedance-amplifier architectures, which suffer from nonlinearities and dynamic instabilities with ultrashort pulses, our approach allows to directly amplify the photocurrent extracted at the common photodiode node without feedback loops. A theoretical model describing the detector response, noise, and pulse-to-pulse correlations is developed, providing quantitative predictions for the signal variance, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and inter-pulse correlations. Implemented with two matched InGaAs photodiodes illuminated by a 1030 nm mode-locked laser at 100 MHz, the detector exhibits excellent linearity and shot-noise-limited scaling of the signal variance with optical power. Optimizing the temporal integration window yields a maximum SNR of about 14 dB, while correlation measurements confirm negligible inter-pulse correlations. These results demonstrate that the proposed architecture offers a robust and simple solution for high-speed pulsed homodyne detection, suitable for quantum optics and continuous-variable quantum information applications.