LIMA – Avalanche Photodiodes for Low-noise Applications in Optical/Quantum Communications at 1550nm

ESA ScyLight project “LIMA” launched

Albis Optoelectronics announces the launch of LIMA – Avalanche Photodiodes for Low-noise Applications in Optical/Quantum Communications at 1550nm, an ESA funded R&D project that started in March 2025 under the framework of the ScyLight programme.

The primary objective of this project is to design, fabricate, and characterize a 2.5 Gbps APD receiver, aiming for a fivefold improvement in sensitivity compared to commercially avaliable InGaAs APDs. Additionally, the project includes the development of APD chips with bandwidths of 200 MHz, 500 MHz, and 1 GHz. These APD chips are designed for operation at a 1550 nm wavelength, featuring low noise, high responsivity, and minimal dark current.
The receiver integrates APD chips developed by Albis, along with commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) passive components and a radiation-hard transimpedance amplifier (TIA). Furthermore, the project includes the development of an evaluation board to facilitate straightforward testing of the receiver’s functionality in a laboratory setting.

The APD chips and receivers developed in this project are primarily designed for optical and quantum communications at a 1550 nm wavelength. Their key application is in space optical communication terminal markets, with a particular focus on 2.5 Gbps intersatellite optical links. Due to the similarity in detector requirements, these products can also be utilized in free-space optical (FSO) ground stations, terrestrial FSO communications, quantum communications, LiDAR, LiFi, airborne and drone-based optical communication systems.
In the context of their target users’ systems and services, the developed products play a critical role in enabling high-speed data detection with enhanced sensitivity, thereby alleviating power constraints in the overall link budget. For instance, a fivefold improvement in sensitivity corresponds to an approximate 7 dB enhancement in link margin.

Visit the project website at https://connectivity.esa.int/projects/aolima

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