Abstract

We present a high-performance reconfigurable coincidence counting unit (CCU) using a low-end field programmable gate array (FPGA) and peripheral circuits. Because of the flexibility guaranteed by the FPGA program, we can easily change system parameters, such as internal input delays, coincidence configurations, and the coincidence time window. In spite of a low-cost implementation, the proposed CCU architecture outperforms previous ones in many aspects: it has 8 logic inputs and 4 coincidence outputs that can measure up to eight-fold coincidences. The minimum coincidence time window and the maximum input frequency are 0.47 ns and 163 MHz, respectively. The CCU will be useful in various experimental research areas, including the field of quantum optics and quantum information.

© 2015 Optical Society of America

Development of a multitechnology field-programmable gate array suitable for photonic information processing

Prosenjit Mal, Jason F. Cantin, and Fred R. Beyette
Appl. Opt. 44(22) 4753-4760 (2005)

Technical aspects for counting and timing photons with a digital oscilloscope

Jorge Arturo Rojas-Santana and Dorilian Lopez-Mago
Appl. Opt. 58(15) 4047-4051 (2019)

High-resolution fiber profilometer for hard-to-access areas

Zhuang Liu, Qize Zhong, Xia Yu, Qi Jie Wang, and Ying Zhang
Appl. Opt. 54(24) 7205-7209 (2015)

Design and alignment strategies of 4f systems used in the vectorial optical field generator

Wei Han, Wen Cheng, and Qiwen Zhan
Appl. Opt. 54(9) 2275-2278 (2015)

Phase shifting and phase retrieval with a fully automated laser diode system

Uriel Rivera-Ortega, Joris Dirckx, and Cruz Meneses-Fabian
Appl. Opt. 54(33) 9896-9901 (2015)