Silicon photomultiplier detector with multipurpose in-pixel electronics in standard CMOS technology

Abstract

This paper presents a monolithic avalanche diode array designed in a commercial AMS 350 nm high-voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) process. This monolithic detector comprises a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), active quenching circuit and readout electronics. The SPAD consists of a p+ diffusion/n-well junction surrounded by a shallow p-well acting as a guard ring to prevent edge breakdown. The monolithic detector has a matrix of 20 × 15 pixels. The size of one SPAD pixel is 38 × 92 μm2. One pixel defined as SPAD and readout electronics has a total size of 115 × 111 μm2 with a fill factor = 24.3% and a chip size of about 2.8 × 2.6 mm2.