Recent advances of planar silicon APD technology

Abstract

Radiation Monitoring Devices previously reported to have fabricated, using a planar processed, deep diffused silicon avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and position sensitive APDs (PSAPDs) that can be used for direct or scintillation-based spectroscopic and imaging applications. We have developed high gain (∼1000), high quantum efficiency (40–70% in the 200–900 nm region) at unity gain, relatively low noise, and magnetically insensitive APDs up to 45 cm 2 in area and PSAPDs up to 2.8×2.8 cm 2 in area. These detectors have begun to be implemented in applications such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) for medical imaging, high-energy physics experiments as water Cherenkov detectors and liquefied noble gas calorimeters, and receivers for long-range optical communication at near infrared (IR) wavelengths (1064 nm). Also, our PSAPDs have been combined with photocathode structures, similar to a photomultiplier tube (PMT), to fabricate hybrid devices. Here, we present a small review and a sample of results showing various applications utilizing our planar processed APDs and PSAPDs.