Differential absorption Lidar (DIAL) in the ultraviolet (UV) region is an effective approach for monitoring tropospheric ozone. 4H-SiC single-photon detectors (SPDs) are emergent devices for UV single-photon detection. Here, we demonstrate a 4H-SiC SPD-based ozone DIAL. We design and fabricate the 4H-SiC single-photon avalanche diode with a beveled mesa structure and optimized layer thickness. An active quenching circuit with a quenching time of 1.03 ns is developed to significantly mitigate the afterpulsing effect while enhancing the maximum count rate. After characterization, the SPD exhibits excellent performance with a photon detection efficiency of 16.6% at 266 nm, a dark count rate of 138 kcps, a maximum count rate of 13 Mcps, and an afterpulse probability of 2.7% at room temperature. Then, we apply two 4H-SiC SPDs in an ozone DIAL. The measured ozone concentrations at altitudes of 1-3.5 km agree well with the results of a commercial ozone DIAL. Our work provides an alternative solution for general UV Lidar applications.
@article{arxiv.2411.04373,
title = {Differential absorption ozone Lidar with 4H-SiC single-photon detectors},
author = {Xian-Song Zhao and Chao Yu and Chong Wang and Tianyi Li and Bo Liu and Hai Lu and Rong Zhang and Xiankang Dou and Jun Zhang and Jian-Wei Pan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.04373},
year = {2025}
}