Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are solid state devices having an internal signal gain which gives them a better signal-to-noise ratio than standard photodiodes. Although they have been studied for years, recent advances in the fabrication techniques have allowed the construction of multielement arrays (up to 10 X 10) with high performance capability. This progress has resulted in increased potential for exploiting the advantages of APDs in a variety of important applications including measurements requiring fast response such as nuclear and high energy physics research, industrial nondestructive testing, medical instrumentation, and biomedical research using low energy particles. Recent experimental data characterizing APDs and APD arrays used as x-ray, particle, and low level light detectors are presented.