Simulation of Heat Propagation Processes Taking Place in the Detection Pixel of Thermoelectric Single-Photon Detector

Abstract

We present the results of modeling and simulation of heat propagation processes taking place in SiO2/W/CeB6/W four-layer detection pixel of a thermoelectric single-photon detector after simultaneous absorption of two, three, and four photons with energy 0.8 eV at different distances from each other as well as many photons absorption at different optical delay. Calculations were carried out based on the equation of heat propagation from a limited volume using the three-dimensional matrix method for differential equations. We have shown that a thermoelectric detector is able to count the number of absorbed photons. Detection pixels of usable size and high detection efficiency are found to have a count rate up to 1014 cps.