Signal-to-Noise Ratio in Pulsed Mode SiPMs for LiDAR Applications

Abstract

In this paper, a first order model of a pulsed mode SiPM-based LiDAR receiver is proposed. Starting from the description of the LiDAR receiver components, an analysis of the output signal and a model for the variable noise is presented. Considering the effects that occur with the first order model of SiPM, a model for the SNR calculation at output of the SiPM is extracted, in particular in terms of the relationship between number of photons. A dependence of SNR on the number of cells that characterize the SiPM is highlighted. At the end, a matching between the values coming from the Matlab simulations and the analytical results is shown.