Digital Silicon Photomultiplier For Low Light Detection In High Energy Physics

by Dr Thomas FRACH (Philips Technologie GmbH)

Friday 21 Oct 2011, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

40/S2-B01 - Salle Bohr (CERN)

Detection of single photons or weak light pulses with high efficiency and high timing precision is an important challenge in future high energy physics experiments. This area has traditionally been dominated by vacuum photomultiplier tubes except in cases where magnetic fields prevented the use of vacuum technology. Solid state solutions like the Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM, MPPC, SSPM, G-APD, ...) as an alternative to PMTs can be used in strong magnetic fields. However the smaller sensitive area and relatively large dark count rate compared to PMTs limit its range of applications. Moreover, SiPM-based systems usually lead to a larger number of analog channels requiring dedicated readout ASICs and infrastructure to enable higher system integration. Silicon Photomultipliers are arrays of avalanche photodiodes operated in Geiger-mode. In this mode of operation, each photodiode acts as a fast single photon detector. In this talk, we present the Digital Silicon Photomultiplier, invented in Philips Research and further developed by the Digital Photon Counting team as a scalable sensor platform for single photon detection. The sensor consists of several thousands actively quenched single photon avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) monolithically integrated in a high volume, commercial 0.18µm CMOS process. Digital photon counting circuitry, time-to-digital converters, data output and configuration registers are integrated next to SPAD arrays on the same substrate. Dedicated memory cells are used to enable or disable each SPAD to allow for detailed sensor characterization and performance optimization at the given operating conditions. We also present sensor tiles and modules enabling massively parallel, large area single photon detection and real-time data processing at system level, as well as first results obtained with picosecond laser and scintillator pulses. This seminar will be transmitted via EVO: Community: Universe Title: CERN Detector Seminar Description: Digital Silicon Photomultiplier For Low Light Detection In High Energy Physics by Dr. Thomas FRACH Meeting Access Information: - Meeting URL: http://evo.caltech.edu/evoNe/koala.jnlp?meeting=MsMiMI2t2eDiDM9s9eDt9s - Phone Bridge: ID: 414 0153

Slides CERN_Detector_Seminar_Frach.pdf