  We implement an InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) for
single-photon detection with the fastest gating frequency reported so far, of
2.23 GHz, which approaches the limit given by the bandwidth of the SPAD - 2.5
GHz. We propose a useful way to characterize the afterpulsing distribution for
rapid gating that allows for easy comparison with conventional gating regimes.
We compare the performance of this rapid gating scheme with free-running
detector and superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) for the coherent
one-way quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol. The rapid gating system is
well suited for both high-rate and long-distance QKD applications, in which
Mbps key rates can be achieved for distances less than 40 km with 50 ns
deadtime and the maximum distance is limited to ~190km with 5 $\mu$s deadtime.
These results illustrate that the afterpulsing is no longer a limiting factor
for QKD.
