Study of the properties of new SPM detectors

Stewart, A. G., Greene-O'Sullivan, E., Herbert, D. J., Saveliev, V., Quinlan, F., Wall, L., Hughes, P. J., Mathewson, A. and Jackson, J. C. (2006) Study of the properties of new SPM detectors. In: SPIE 3rd Conference on Semiconductor Photodetectors, San Jose, CA, USA, 21 January 2006, 61190A. (doi: 10.1117/12.645649)

Abstract

The operation and performance of multi-pixel, Geiger-mode APD structures referred to as Silicon Photomultiplier (SPM) are reported. The SPM is a solid state device that has emerged over the last decade as a promising alternative to vacuum PMTs. This is due to their comparable performance in addition to their lower bias operation and power consumption, insensitivity to magnetic fields and ambient light, smaller size and ruggedness. Applications for these detectors are numerous and include life sciences, nuclear medicine, particle physics, microscopy and general instrumentation. With SPM devices, many geometrical and device parameters can be adjusted to optimize their performance for a particular application. In this paper, Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results for 1mm2 SPM structures are reported. In addition, trade-offs involved in optimizing the SPM in terms of the number and size of pixels for a given light intensity, and its affect on the dynamic range are discussed.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Stewart, Dr Andrew
• Authors: Stewart, A. G., Greene-O'Sullivan, E., Herbert, D. J., Saveliev, V., Quinlan, F., Wall, L., Hughes, P. J., Mathewson, A., and Jackson, J. C.
• Subjects: Q Science > Q Science (General); Q Science > QC Physics; T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• ISSN: 0277786X