1989/02/01 by M. D. Petroff, M. G. Stapelbroek · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Engineering · #Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies #Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research
paper · doi:10.1109/23.34424
openalex publication_date 1989/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The solid state photomultiplier is a silicon device capable of continuous detection of individual photons in the wavelength range from 0.4 to 28 mu m. Operated with an applied bias near 7 V the device responds to the absorption of an incident photon with a submicrosecond-risetime current pulse with a narrow amplitude distribution well above the electronic readout noise levels. Optimal photon-counting performance occurs between 6 and 10 K and for count rates less than 10/sup 10/ counts/s/cm/sup 2/ of detector area. A 60% counting quantum efficiency has been demonstrated at 20 mu m, and near 60% was observed in the visible light region. The underlying mechanism involves extremely fast internal charge amplification by impact ionization of impurity-band electrons and results in a pulse for each photoelectrically or thermally induced free carrier. The thermally induced dark pulse rate at 7 K is sufficiently low that background-limited detector performance is obtained at a background of less than 10/sup 6/ photons/cm/sup 2/ s.>