The quantum properties of electromagnetic radiation at single photon level promise to offer what are classically inaccessible. Single photon sources and detectors are therefore on demand for exploiting these properties in practical applications, including but not limited to quantum information processing and communication. In this thesis, I advance Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPD) both in terms of models describing their operation, and their performance. I report on characterization, semi-empirical modeling, quantum-optical modeling and detector tomography. The results provide more accurate methods and formulations to characterize and mathematically describe the detectors, valuable findings from both application and device points of views. I also introduce the concept of Gated SNSPDs, show how to implement and how to characterize them. Through series of theoretical and experimental investigations, I show performance advantages of Gated SNSPDs in terms of dead time and dark count rate, important figures for many applications like quantum key distribution. The ultimate limitations of gated operation are also explored by physical modeling and simulation steps.

The quantum properties of electromagnetic radiation at single photon level promise to offer what are classically inaccessible. Single photon sources and detectors are therefore on demand for exploiting these properties in practical applications, including but not limited to quantum information processing and communication. In this thesis, I advance Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPD) both in terms of models describing their operation, and their performance. I report on characterization, semi-empirical modeling, quantum-optical modeling and detector tomography. The results provide more accurate methods and formulations to characterize and mathematically describe the detectors, valuable findings from both application and device points of views. I also introduce the concept of Gated SNSPDs, show how to implement and how to characterize them. Through series of theoretical and experimental investigations, I show performance advantages of Gated SNSPDs in terms of dead time and dark count rate, important figures for many applications like quantum key distribution. The ultimate limitations of gated operation are also explored by physical modeling and simulation steps.

Superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) are the leading detectors in terms of high-speed single-photon counting and high detection efficiency (DE). One factor that limits the DE is the critical current Ic, which is the maximum current before the superconductor switches to the normal state. Increasing device’s bias current towards the Ic can improve the DE. However, the device’s Ic is reduced due to constriction and current crowding at the edges of the wire. Typically, this is caused by fabrication defects. Locally suppressing superconductivity at these defects can potentially lessen the occurrence of current crowding. In this thesis, we used the beam from the helium ion microscope (HIM) and measured the Ic to observe the effects of locally irradiating specific areas on a SSPD wire. Due to the HIM’s small spot size and high collimation, we can control the superconducting gap precisely at the center and edges of the wire. Suppressing the edges can potentially reduce current crowding and increase the device’s critical current while suppressing the center can improve detection sensitivity for photons incident at that location. Our results showed that the irradiated devices had reduced Ic compared to unirradiated devices for both cases. We then extend this method of local suppression of superconductivity to explore an alternative method of fabricating SSPDs by directly writing the device on the superconducting thin film. This can enable the fabrication of devices without the use of lithography resist. In our experiment, we fabricated a 3 μm wire using optical lithography that was disconnected at the center and connected it by writing a single 1 μm wire with the He+ ion beam. We measured the Ic for samples with and without the 1 μm wire pattern and observed that the Ic decreased as we increased the ion dose. Overall, this work aims to contribute to the continuing investigation of the detection mechanism for SSPDs and the improvement of nanofabrication methods using the HIM.

nÃo hà / Tecnologia da InformaÃÃo QuÃntica à uma Ãrea multidisciplinar nova que tem recebido muita atenÃÃo por ser promissora e devido a seu alto potencial em resolver problemas ainda nÃo solucionados. Dentro desta grande Ãrea, as ComunicaÃÃes QuÃnticas estÃo bastante desenvolvidas. Nesta sub-Ãrea, distribuiÃÃo QuÃntica de Chaves à o campo mais avanÃado. Ela permite que duas partes, chamadas Alice e Bob, compartilhem uma chave criptogrÃfica atravÃs de um canal seguro (seguranÃa garantida por leis da mecÃnica quÃntica). A maior parte dos Sistemas de DistribuiÃÃo QuÃntica de Chaves à executada em enlaces de fibras Ãpticas e, nestes sistemas, a mais importante parte à o Detector de FÃtons Isolados. Detector de FÃtons Isolados à um equipamento capaz de absorver um fÃton e gerar um sinal TTL. Assim, em um Detector de FÃtons Isolados ideal, cada fÃton que chega deve disparar um pulso TTL na saÃda. Dado que a energia de um fÃton isolado à muito baixa, um fotodiodo de avalanche à usado para realizar o processo absorÃÃo do fÃtongeraÃÃo de portador, uma vez que este fotodiodo, se corretamente polarizado, pode disparar uma avalanche de portadores detectÃvel. ApÃs a avalanche ter se iniciado, ela deve ser extinta para evitar qualquer dano ao fotodiodo, o que à feito por um circuito de extinÃÃo de avalanche. O fotodiodo de avalanche à o elemento mais importante de um Detector de FÃtons Isolados e sua caracterizaÃÃo requer muita atenÃÃo. Neste contexto, esta dissertaÃÃo lida com aspectos teÃricos e prÃticos de Detectores de FÃtons Isolados para ComunicaÃÃes QuÃnticas. Inicia com a teoria de fotodiodos de avalanche e circuitos de extinÃÃo (resultados numÃricos de circuitos de extinÃÃo tambÃm sÃo mostrados), e segue atà a caracterizaÃÃo de um Detector de FÃtons Isolados construÃdo em laboratÃrio e suas aplicaÃÃes em metrologia de dispositivos Ãpticos, bem como em resoluÃÃo de nÃmero de fÃtons. / Quantum Information Technology is a new multi-disciplinary area which has received a lot of attention due to its promises and its high potential in solving problems still unsolved. In this big area, Quantum Communication is too much developed. In this subarea, Quantum Key Distribution is the most advanced field. It permits two parties, named Alice and Bob, sharing a cryptography key through a secure channel (guaranteed by laws of quantum mechanics). The most of Quantum Key Distribution Systems run over optical fiber links and, in these systems, the most important part is the Single-Photon Detector. Single-Photon Detector is an equipment able to absorb a photon and generate a TTL pulse. Thus, in an ideal Single-Photon Detector, each photon incoming must trigger a TTL pulse at the output. Since the energy level of a single-photon is too much low, an avalanche photodiode is used to perform the photon absorption-carrier generation process, once this photodiode if correctly biased can trigger a detectable avalanche of carriers. After the avalanche has been started, it must be quenched in order to avoid any damage to the photodiode, which is made by an avalanche quenching circuit. The avalanche photodiode is the most important element of a Single-Photon Detector and its characterization requires much attention. In this context, this dissertation deals with theoretical and practical aspects of Single-Photon Detectors for Quantum Communication. It starts from the theory of avalanche photodiodes and quenching circuits (numerical results of quenching circuits are also shown) and follows until the characterization of a home-made Single-Photon Detector and its applications in Metrology of optical devices and in Photon-Number Resolution as well.

Silicon photon multipliers, or SiPMs, are single photon detectors that have grown increasing interest in the last decade as an alternative to photomultiplier tubes in many field of physics, engineering and medicine. Compared to PMTs, SiPMs are more compact, rugged and operate at much lower bias voltage, in the order of tens of volts. Moreover they are insensitive to magnetic field and can achieve a very high radiopurity SiPM detectors work on the principle of a diode operated above the breakdown voltage, in Geiger mode. In this condition, the electric field in the depletion region is high enough that the electron-hole pairs, generated by a single photon absorption through photoelectric effect, create secondary charges by impact ionization in a potentially diverging avalanche effect that can be exploited to generate a macroscopical current at the output of the diode. Thanks to this effect, the SiPM is capable of counting the number of impinging photons down to single photon level. Noise sources in the SiPM include dark counts and correlated noise. Dark counts are counts happening when an electron-hole pair is generated in the active volume of the device in absence of photon absorptions. These events are caused either by thermal generation, diffusion from the neutral region or by tunnel effect. Correlated noise events, or counts, on the other hand, are generated when a primary firing cell retriggers after a certain time or cause the triggering of another cell. All these noise sources introduce errors in the photon count by adding fake events to the output signal of the detector.Traditional SiPM application is 511 keV gamma-ray detection in PET machines, using scintillator LYSO crystals to convert a single gamma ray into a flash of visible photons. An application based on the same principle was studied in this thesis by coupling FBK RGB-HD SiPMs with CsI:Tl crystals in order to detect lower energy X and gamma-rays. This setup has proven to be effective in the detection of radiation with energy as low as 5.9 keV with a resolution of 38.3%, which is the minimum value of energy resolution measured with SiPMs coupled to scintillator crystals at such low energy. At the same time it was observed that large area detectors provided a dynamic range wide enough to simultaneously detect radiation ranging from 6.4 keV to 122 keV with minimal saturation. In another activity of this thesis it was developed a simulation software that reproduces the behaviour of a SiPM under different light conditions by taking into account the detector efficiency, the dead time and the recharge behaviour of its cells and theoretical modelizations of the noise parameters that affect the measurement. From a given light profile the simulation generates a waveform that reproduces the one measured during the operation of real SiPMs. This waveform was then analysed using FBK software developed for SiPM characterization and the results showed an excellent agreement between the simulated detector and a reference SiPM. This software will become a useful tool for the design of SiPMs for future experiments because it will allow to tune the properties of the detectors to specific applications and it will reduce the need of layout and process split to find the optimal configuration of the detector parameters.Among all FBK technologies, this work was focused on the position-sensitive LG-SiPM. Unlike standard SiPMs, which have a single output, the LG-SiPM employs a more complex structure that splits the current signal into four output channels with ratios depending on the position of the impinging light on its surface. Center of mass calculations are used to reconstruct the position of the firing cell with precision down to some tens of microns while maintaining the fast time response of SiPMs. An application of the LG-SiPM was studied in the framework of the ARIADNE experiment in collaboration with the university of Liverpool. In this work the LG-SiPM was used to detect scintillation light coming from ionization tracks generated by alpha particles inside a CF4 TPC chamber. The ionized electrons where drifted through the action of a high electric field in the TPC towards a THGEM where they created light with timing depending on the distance of each track segment from the scintillator. The LG detector was able to reconstruct the 3D track particle inside the chamber with an error below 8 mm RMS inside the 40 l chamber and, at the same time, to reconstruct the energy released by the particle as function of time and calculate the total energy of the interacting particle and its linear energy transfer. These results open a novel approach for the TPC position reconstruction that combines the low number of readout channels needed for the LG detector to its time-continuous response which allows to reconstruct the tree-dimensional track of a particle inside the chamber.During the experiment it emerged the presence of an artifact that drifted all the reconstructed tracks towards the centre of the detection area, at the end of the signal. This effect was studied by creating a second simulation software that recreates the electrical behaviour of the LG-SiPM equivalent circuit when one or more cells trigger. It was simulated the output of the circuit with different light conditions and different values of the circuit elements and it was observed that the presence of the artifact was related to low intensity currents flowing through the net of the LG-SiPM metal tracks and quenching resistors. Several simulations were run in order to identify the optimal configuration of parameters for the reduction of this unwanted effect and to implement improvements in future LG-SiPM productions.Another application of the LG-SiPM in the field of radiation detection is the position reconstruction of the scintillation light emitted by gamma-rays in a monolithic crystal. Using a thin CsI:Tl crystal and lowering the detector temperature it was possible to distinguish different positions of interaction on the surface of the detector with an error below 1 mm FWHM. This technology can be effective for the creation of monolithic, position sensitive X and gamma-ray detector with good energy resolution for low energy spectroscopy or medical imaging devices.

Magnesium diboride MgB2 is an interesting material that was discovered to be a superconductor in 2001. It has a remarkably high critical temperature of 39 K which is much greater than was previously thought possible for a phonon-mediated superconductor. MgB2 was also the first material found to exhibit multiple gap superconductivity. It has two energy gaps, the pi gap with a value of 2.3 meV, and the sigma gap with a value of 7.1 meV. Both the high critical temperature and the multiple large energy gaps make MgB2 an attractive candidate for superconducting devices. While the initial discovery of MgB2 was accompanied by much excitement, the enthusiasm has mostly disappeared due to the lack of progress made in implementing MgB2 in practical devices. The aim of this thesis is to attempt to reinvigorate interest in this remarkable material through a study of a variety of practical superconducting devices made with MgB2 thin films grown by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD). Two different methods of fabricating MgB2 Josephson junctions are explored. The first is a sandwich type trilayer configuration with a barrier made by magnetron sputtered MgO. Junctions of this sort have been previously studied and implemented in a variety of devices. While they do show some attractive properties, the on-chip spread in critical current due to barrier non-uniformity was too high to be considered a viable option for use in many-junction devices. By developing a fabrication scheme which utilizes electron beam lithography, modest improvements were made in the on-chip parameter spread, and miniaturization of junction size yielded some insight into the non-uniform barriers. The second approach of creating MgB2 Josephson junctions utilized a planar geometry with a normal metal barrier created by irradiating nano-sized strips of the material with a focused helium ion beam. The properties of these junctions are investigated for different irradiation doses. This new technique is capable of producing high quality junctions and furthermore the parameter spread is greatly reduced as compared to the sandwich type junctions. While more research is necessary in order to increase the IcRn products, these junctions show promise for use in many-junction devices such as RSFQ circuits. Prior to this work, the largest substrates that could be coated with HPCVD grown MgB2 were 2" in diameter. A new chamber was designed and constructed which demonstrated the ability to coat substrates as large as 4". This scaled-up system was used to grow MgB2 films on 1 x 10 cm flexible substrates. A method of fabrication was developed which could pattern these 10 cm long samples into ribbon cables consisting of many high frequency transmission lines. This technology can be utilized to increase the cooling efficiency of cryogenic systems used for RSFQ systems which require many connections between low temperature and room temperature electronics. Finally, a method of producing MgB2 films with thicknesses as low as 8 nm was developed. This is achieved by first growing thicker films and using a low angle ion milling step to gradually reduce the film thickness while still maintaining well connected high quality films. A procedure was developed for fabricating meandering nanowires in these films with widths as low as 100 nm for use as superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). A study of the transport properties of these devices is first presented. Measurements show low values of kinetic inductance which is ideal for high count rates in SNSPDs. The kinetic inductance measurements also yielded the first measurements of the penetration depth of MgB2 films in the ultra-thin regime. Devices made from these ultra-thin films were found to be photon sensitive by measurements made by our collaborators. / Physics

Das Ziel dieser Dissertation ist das Schließen der radiometrischen Lücke zwischen der klassischen Radiometrie und der Radiometrie im Bereich weniger und einzelner Photonen. In dieser Arbeit wurden dazu zwei wesentliche Themen bearbeitet. Erstens, die Charakterisierung und Validierung eines neuen radiometrischen Detektorprimärnormals für den Wellenlängenbereich von 400 nm bis 800 nm basierend auf Silizium-Photodioden. Dieses neuartige Primärnormal kann sowohl in der Radiometrie im Bereich weniger Photonen als auch in der klassischen Radiometrie eingesetzt werden, der sogenannte “Predictable Quantum Efficient Detector” (PQED). Der PQED wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit charakterisiert und experimentell validiert. Für die Validierung war es nötig, die relativen Unsicherheiten der klassischen Radiometrie und insbesondere der Kryoradiometrie, deutlich zu verringern. Mit der Inbetriebnahme eines neuen Kryoradiometers wurde das Ziel, in den Unsicherheitsbereich von ca. 10E−5 vorzudringen, erreicht. Zweitens, es wurde eine Kalibriermethode für Einzelphotonendetektoren eingesetzt, rückgeführt auf das internationale Einheitensystem, die auf den einzigartigen Eigenschaften von Synchrotronstrahlung basiert. Diese Methode kann benutzt werden um sowohl Freistrahl- als auch fasergekoppelte Einzelphotonendetektoren bei praktisch jeder gewünschten Wellenlänge zu kalibrieren und erreicht im Moment die weltweit geringsten Messunsicherheiten. Mit dem neuen Kryoradiometer, dem PQED und dem auf Synchrotronstrahlung basierenden Kalibrierverfahren sind die erreichbaren Messunsicherheiten in der Radiometrie im Bereich von wenigen Photonen bis zu Strahlungsleistungen im Milliwattbereich deutlich reduziert worden. / This thesis addresses the bridging of the radiometric gap in the transition from classical radiometry to the few and single photon radiometry. In this context, two main tasks were emphasised. First: A new radiometric primary detector standard for wavelengths between 400 nm and 800 nm, suitable for classical and few photon radiometry, the so-called “Predictable Quantum Efficient Detector” (PQED) was characterised and validated. For the validation of the PQED, the relative uncertainties achievable in classical radiometry and, in particular, with cryogenic radiometers had to be reduced to a level of 10E−5 with the commissioning of a new cryogenic radiometer facility. Second: A calibration method for single photon detectors in the visible and NIR has been used which is based on the unique properties of synchrotron radiation. This calibration method allows radiometric single photon detector calibrations with the lowest uncertainties reported so far. This method can be used to calibrate free space and fibre-coupled single photon detectors traceable to the international system of units at practically every desired optical wavelength. With the new cryogenic radiometer, the PQED, and the calibration method based on synchrotron radiation, the uncertainties in radiometry have been significantly reduced in the range from milliwatts of radiant power down to attowatts corresponding to a few photons per second.

[pt] Detectores de fótons únicos baseados em fotodiodos de avalanche (SPADs) são essenciais em aplicações que requerem alta resolução, como comunicações quânticas e metrologia quântica. O efeito da largura de janela de detecção temporal de fótons é pouco explorado, e não há estudos para a faixa de comprimentos de onda de interesse em telecomunicações em torno de: 1550 nm. Neste trabalho, apresenta-se uma proposta para análise de impacto da largura de janela de detecção de um SPAD de InGaAs/InP, realizando uma análise da estatística entre detecções consecutivas e da probabilidade de detecção de 0 ou 1 evento em função da atenuação óptica. Variou-se o número médio de fótons por janela medido pelo SPAD, e os resultados foram avaliados para os valores de 4 ns, 8 ns, 12 ns, 16 ns e 20 ns de largura de janela de detecção, sendo estimada a Incerteza de Medição Expandida para cada ensaio. Os resultados obtidos indicam uma faixa adequada de potência óptica para calibração de um SPAD com eficiência de detecção de 15 porcento e um tempo morto de 1 microssegundo, no intervalo de 10 nW a 0,15 nW. Nesta faixa de potência, os respectivos produtos associados ao efetivo número médio de fótons por janela de detecção correspondem aos valores de 190 x 10-(4) a 0,32 x 10(-4) (para 4 ns) e 140 x 10(-4) a 2,9 x 10(-4) (para 8 ns). Foram obtidos comportamentos lineares para os ajustes das curvas de calibração para larguras de janela de 4 ns e 8 ns. / [en] Single photon detectors based on avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) are essential in applications that require high resolution, such as quantum communications and quantum metrology. The effect of the width of photon detection gate is little explored, and there are no studies for the wavelength range of interest in telecommunications around 1550 nm. In this work, a proposal is presented for analyzing the impact of the detection gate width of an InGaAs/InP SPAD, performing a statistical analysis of consecutive detections and the probability detection of 0 or 1 events depending on the optical attenuation. The average number of photons per gate measured by the SPAD was varied, and the results were evaluated for the values of 4 ns, 8 ns, 12 ns, 16 ns and 20 ns of detection gate widths, and Expanded Measurement Uncertainty was estimated for each test. The results obtained indicate an adequate optical power range for calibrating a SPAD with a detection efficiency of 15 percent and dead – time of 1 microssecond, in the range of 10 nW to 0,15 nW. In this power range, the respective products, which are associated with an effective average number of photons per gate window, correspond to the values of 190 x 10(-4) to 0,32 x 10(-4) (for 4 ns) e 140 x 10(-4) to 2,9 x 10(-4) (for 8 ns). Linear behaviors were obtained for the adjustment of the calibration curves for gate widths of 4 ns and 8 ns.

La tomographie d'émission par positrons (TEP) se distingue des autres modalités d'imagerie par sa capacité à localiser et quantifier la présence de molécules marquées, appelées radiotraceurs, au sein d'un organisme. Cette capacité à mesurer l'activité biologique des différents tissus d'un sujet apporte des informations uniques et essentielles à l'étude de tumeurs cancéreuses, au fonctionnement du cerveau et de ses maladies neurodégénératives et de la pharmacodynamique de nouveaux médicaments. Depuis les tout débuts de la TEP, les scientifiques rêvent de pouvoir utiliser l'information de temps de vol des photons pour améliorer la qualité de l'image TEP. L'arrivée des photodiodes avalanche monophotoniques (PAMP), rend maintenant ce rêve possible. Ces dispositifs détectent la faible émission de lumière des scintillateurs et présentent une réponse grandement amplifiée avec une faible incertitude temporelle. Mais le potentiel des PAMP n'est pas encore entièrement exploré. Plutôt que de faire la somme des courants d'une matrice de PAMP, il est possible d'utiliser leur nature intrinsèquement binaire afin de réaliser un photodétecteur numérique capable de déterminer avec précision le temps d'arrivée de chaque photon de scintillation. Toutefois, la conception de matrices de PAMP numériques en est encore à ses débuts, et les outils de conception se font rares. Ce projet de doctorat propose un simulateur facilitant la conception de matrices de PAMP, que celles-ci soient analogiques ou numériques. Avec cet outil, l'optimisation d'une matrice de PAMP numérique basée dans une technologie Teledyne DALSA HV CMOS \SI{0,8}{\micro\metre} est proposée. En plus de guider les choix de conception de l'équipe, cette optimisation permet de mieux comprendre quels paramètres influencent les performances du détecteur. De plus, puisque le photodétecteur n'est pas l'unique acteur des performances d'un détecteur TEP, une étude sur l'impact des scintillateurs est aussi présentée. Cette étude vérifie l'amélioration apportée par l'intégration de photons prompts dans des scintillateurs LYSO. Enfin, une approche novatrice pour discriminer l'énergie des évènements TEP basée sur l'information temporelle des photons de scintillation a été développée et vérifiée à l'aide du simulateur. Bien que ce simulateur et les études réalisées dans le cadre de cette thèse soient concentrés sur des détecteurs TEP, l'utilité des PAMP et du simulateur ne se limite pas à cette application. Les matrices de PAMP sont prisées pour le développement de détecteur en physique des particules, physique nucléaire, informatique quantique, LIDAR et bien d'autres. / Abstract : Positron emission tomography (PET) stands out among other imaging modalities by its ability to locate and quantify the presence of marked molecules, called radiotracers, within an organism. The capacity to measure biological activity of various organic tissues provides unique information, essential to the study of cancerous tumors, brain functions and the pharmacodynamics of new medications. Since the very beginings of PET, scientists dreamed of using the photon's time-of-flight information to improve PET images. With the recent progress of Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD), this dream is now possible. These photodetectors detect the scintillators' low light emission and offers a greatly amplified response with only a small time uncertainty. However the potential of SPAD has not yet been entirely explored. Instead of summing the currents of a SPAD array, it is possible to use their intrinsically binary operation to build a digital photodetector, able to establish with precision the time of arrival of each scintillation photon. With this information, the time-of-flight measurements will be much more precise. Yet the design of digital SPAD arrays is in its infancy and design tools for this purpose are rare. This project proposes a simulator to aid the design of SPAD arrays, both analog and digital. With this tool, we propose an optimised design for a digital SPAD array fabricated in Teledyne Dalsa HV CMOS \SI{0.8}{\micro\metre} technology. In addition to guiding the design choices of our team, this optimisation led to a better understanding which parameters influence the performance of a PET detector. In addition, since the photodetector is not the sole actor in the performance of a PET detector, a study on the effect of scintillators is also presented. This study evaluates the improvement brought by incorporating a prompt photon emission mechanism in LYSO crystals. Finally, we describe a novel approach to energy discrimination based on the timing information of scintillation photons was developped and tested using the simulator. While this simulator and the studies presented in this thesis focus on PET detectors, SPAD are not limited to this sole application. SPAD arrays are promising for a wide variety of fields, including particle physics, high energy physics, quantum computing, LIDAR and many more.

[pt] Detectores de fótons únicos baseados em fotodiodo avalanche (SPADs) são elementos essenciais em aplicações que requerem alta sensibilidade, como comunicações quânticas. É proposto um método para caracterização em tempo real da eficiência de detecção e das probabilidades de contagem de escuro e de pós-pulsos em SPADs através da análise da estatística de tempos entre detecções consecutivas utilizando instrumentação simples com o detector sob condições de operação. O método é então aplicado no monitoramento dos detectores utilizados em um sistema de distribuição quântica de chaves, motivado pela falha de segurança que imperfeições apresentadas pela tecnologia atual de detecção podem acarretar. Em especial, os ataques after-gate e time-shif são implementados e analisados. Uma simulação através do método de Monte-Carlo de um detector de fótons únicos composto por uma associação de diversos SPADs ativados serialmente e precedidos por uma chave óptica ativa é apresentada, visando otimizar a performance de detecção com tecnologia atual no tangente à frequência de gatilho. É reportada ainda a interferência estável entre fótons provenientes de fontes laser atenuadas totalmente independentes, cuja visibilidade é monitorada ao longo do tempo para um enlace implementado sobre duas bobinas de 8,5 km com controle ativo de polarização, passo importante para a tecnologia de repetidores quânticos e para o protocolo para distribuição quântica de chaves independente do aparato de medição. Um medidor de estados de Bell é implementado, utilizando-se óptica linear, com a resposta do sistema verificada para diferentes combinações dos estados preparados em duas estações remotas conectadas à estação central de medição através do canal estabilizado. / [en] DetecSingle-photon detectors based on avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) are key elements in ultra-sensitive applications, such as quantum communication. This thesis presents a method for real-time characterization of the overall detection efficiency, afterpulse and dark count probabilities, based on the analysis of the statistics of times between consecutive detections with simple instrumentation under operational condition. The method is employed for monitoring the SPADs on a quantum key distribution system, to prevent security failures due to side-channel attacks caused by current technology loopholes. The after-gate and time-shift attacks are implemented and analyzed. A Monte-Carlo simulation of a serially-activated association of SPADs, preceeded by an active optical switch, is performed for enhancement of the gating frequency performance with detectors based on current technology. The stable interference between photons from two independent faint laser sources is also reported, with visibility stability monitored over time after an optical link composed by two polarization-controlled 8.5-km fiber spools, a key features for quantum repeater and the measurement device independent quantum key distribution protocols. A Bell states analyzer is implemented with linear optics, and its response is verified for different combination of polarization states received from the remote stations through the stabilized channels.