Modeling of Silicon Photomultiplier Based on Perimeter Gated Single Photon Avalanche Diode

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new electrical model for perimeter gated single photon avalanche diode (PGSPAD) based silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detector. A PGSPAD is a SPAD with an added polysilicon gate. The extra gate terminal of the PGSPAD device mitigates premature edge breakdown and tunes the operating range, noise performance, efficacy. The proposed PGSPAD SiPM model accurately simulates the static, dynamic, and stochastic noise behavior of the SiPM detector and includes the effect of the additional gate terminal. Simulation results are validated with experimental measurements of the PGSPAD SiPM fabricated in 0.5 µm CMOS process. The proposed model is a helpful simulation tool for the PGSPAD SiPM designer to evaluate the effect of parameters, optimize the performance with additional gate terminal, and design the optimum readout electronics.