Sheffield, UK, 9th July 2025: Phlux Technology, a manufacturer of avalanche photodiode (APD) infrared sensors, is offering an evaluation board for its Aura family of Noiseless InGaAs® avalanche photodiodes (APDs). The APDs are used as 1550 nm infrared sensors and claim 12X greater sensitivity than traditional devices in applications spanning laser rangefinders, optical networks and test equipment, and LiDAR.
The 70 mm x 60 mm board, which comes with a MAX40661 transimpedance amplifier, is designed to accelerate design and development by simplifying the evaluation and measurement of Phluxs Aura line of APDs (200, 80, and 30 µm devices). Customers can quickly set-up measurements such as APD dark current, responsivity, Noise Equivalent Power (NEP), Input Referred Noise (IRN), and dynamic characteristics like impulse response, rise and fall times, and output swing to compare with existing designs. The board has a protected DC-coupled input and an AC-coupled differential or single-ended output via 50-Ohm SMA connectors. It requires a single, low-noise +3.3 V DC power supply, and the recommended Vbias is preset to meet the required level of responsivity. It is recommended for use with a 250 MHz bandwidth oscilloscope.
The evaluation board accepts hermetically sealed TO-46 or TO-56 packaged APDs or Ceramic PLCC6 SMD packaged devices with quartz window. These packages are supported by Phlux, but the board also allows for performance comparison with other commercially available devices in similar formats.
In addition to the evaluation board using the MAX40661 COTS preamplifier, Phlux has developed an ultra-low noise preamplifier circuit from discrete components to enable best-in-class NEP performance of < 30 fW/√Hz for demanding rangefinder and LiDAR applications with up to 75 MHz bandwidth using the Aura 200 µm APD. This design is well suited to defence applications.
Phluxs Noiseless InGaAs APD technology adds an antimony (Sb) alloy to the InGasAs compound semiconductor structure. The resulting devices operate with an internal gain of up to 120 or beyond, enabling the weakest signals to be detected above the noise floor. They also exhibit greater temperature stability and faster large-signal recovery than traditional InGaAs infrared sensors.
The board is available to order now.
About Phlux Technology
Phlux Technology designs, manufactures and markets 1550 nm infrared (IR) sensors 12x more sensitive than alternatives. As a result, Phlux’s Noiseless InGaAs® Avalanche Photodiodes (APD) detect signals at up to 50% greater distance in range finders, LiDAR systems, and optical fibre test equipment. In every application, Phlux sensors boost performance, simplify thermal management, and cut system cost and size through relaxing laser and optics requirements. The sensors are available as bare die or in industry-standard surface-mount or wire-ended packages, so can be retrofitted to existing systems. The technology is cost-competitive for mass-market adoption.
Founded in 2020 and based in Sheffield, UK, Phlux Technology is a spin-out from the University of Sheffield. The company’s patented technology is the result of eight years of research at the university and its co-founders are Ben White (Phlux CEO), Jo Shien Ng (Professor of Semiconductor Devices), Chee Hing Tan (Professor of Opto-Electronic Sensors).
Phlux raised a seed funding round of £4 million led by Octopus Ventures in December 2022 and a £9 million Series A round led by BGF in March 2025.
More information about Phlux can be found at https://phluxtechnology.com
