Verilog-a modeling of Silicon Photo-Multipliers

Abstract

The Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) is a promising kind of device able to detect single photons thus permitting the measurement of weak optical signals. The design of high-performance front-end electronics for the read-out, require an accurate model of the SiPM. In this paper we propose a new SiPM model implemented through the behavioral language Verilog-a and suitable for transistor-level circuit simulation. The model is based on a traditional electrical model and a statistical modeling to implement the SiPM noise characteristic in terms of dark-count and after-pulsing phenomena. We also provide a procedure for extracting the model parameters from measurements and validate both the extraction procedure and the Verilog-a model by comparing simulations to measurement results.