  InGaAs avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are convenient for single photon
detection in the near-infrared (NIR) including the fibre communication bands
(1.31/1.55 $\mu$m). However, to suppress afterpulse noise due to trapped
avalanche charge, they must be gated with MHz repetition frequencies, thereby
severely limiting the count rate in NIR applications. Here we show gating
frequencies for InGaAs-APDs well beyond 1 GHz. Using a self-differencing
technique to sense much weaker avalanches, we reduce drastically afterpulse
noise. At 1.25 GHz, we obtain a detection efficiency of 10.8% with an
afterpulse probability of 6.16%. In addition, the detector features low jitter
(55 ps) and a count rate of 100 MHz.
