Characterization of silicon photomultipliers for radiation detection applications

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are essential photodetectors in applications such as medical imaging and high-energy physics, but their performance can be compromised by factors like gain variability, dark count rate, avalanche noise, and optical crosstalk. This research conducts a comprehensive study to enhance SiPM performance by characterizing the response of three different SiPM technologies, mitigating optical crosstalk using wavelength selective filters, and exploring statistical physics models to understand the avalanche behavior of silicon photomultipliers. A comparative analysis of Onsemi MicroFJ-30035, AdvanSiD ASD-NUV3S-P, and Broadcom AFBR-S4K33C0147L silicon photomultipliers revealed that, at room temperature, the Onsemi device exhibited the highest gain of 6.02 mV, approximately 54% higher than the Broadcom’s 3.92 mV and 151% higher than the AdvanSiD’s 2.40 mV. The AdvanSiD SiPM demonstrated the lowest avalanche noise at 0.20 mV, about 38% lower than the Onsemi’s 0.322 mV and 33% lower than the Broadcom’s 0.300 mV. The Broadcom SiPM achieved the lowest dark count rate (DCR) and optical crosstalk probability (OCT), with a DCR of 78 kHz/mm2—37% lower than the Onsemi’s 123 kHz/mm2—and an OCT probability of 8.89%, which is 55% lower than the Onsemi’s 19.8% and 82% lower than the AdvanSiD’s 50.5%. These performance characteristics indicate that the AdvanSiD, with its lower avalanche noise, is well-suited for applications using brighter scintillators like LYSO, where low noise enhances signal resolution, whereas the Onsemi SiPM’s higher gain makes it preferable for less bright scintillators requiring higher signal amplification. Applying wavelength selective filters above the silicon photomultiplier sensor reduced optical crosstalk probability by up to 28.9% without compromising signal integrity. Additionally, the investigation of avalanche statistics models revealed that silicon photomultipliers may exhibit power-law behavior in avalanche pulse amplitude distributions, suggesting scale-invariant dynamics ics that could inform new predictive models for silicon photomultiplier behavior. By integrating detailed characterization, practical noise reduction strategies, and theoretical insights into avalanche behavior, this thesis aims to understand and optimize silicon photomultiplier performance for radiation detection applications

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nuclear, Plasma, Radiolgc Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Fritchie, Jacob

Contributors dc:contributor

• Di Fulvio, Angela
• Grosse Perdekamp, Matthias

• Radiation Detection
• Nuclear Engineering
• Nuclear Security
• Semiconductors
• Nuclear Safeguards

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Jacob Fritchie

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127293

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127293