Characterization of the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) reflectance of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) is important for large-scale SiPM-based photodetector systems. We report the angular dependence of the specular reflectance in a vacuum of SiPMs manufactured by Fondazionc Bruno Kessler (FBK) and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (HPK) over wavelengths ranging from 120 nm to 280 nm. Refractive index and extinction coefficient of the thin silicon-dioxide film deposited on the surface of the FBK SiPMs are derived from reflectance data of a FBK silicon wafer with the same deposited oxide film as SiPMs. The diffuse reflectance of SiPMs is also measured at 193 nm. We use the VUV spectral dependence of the optical constants to predict the reflectance of the FBK silicon wafer and FBK SiPMs in liquid xenon.
Reflectance of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) is an important aspect to understand the large scale SiPM-based detector systems and evaluate the performance of SiPMs. We report the reflactance of two SiPMs, NUV-HD-lowCT and S14160-60-50HS manufactured by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (HPK) respectively, in linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and in air at visible wavelengths. Our results show that the reflectance of the FBK SiPM in air varies in the range of 14% to 23% , depending on wavelengths and angle of incidence, which is 2 time larger than that of the HPK device. This indicates that the two manufacturers are using different designs of anti-reflective coating on SiPMs surfaces. The reflectance is reduced by about 10% when SiPMs are immersed in LAB, compared with that measured in air. The profiles of reflected light beams are also measured by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for the two SiPMs.
This paper describes an experimental setup that has been developed to measure and characterise properties of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). The measured SiPM properties are of general interest for a multitude of potential applications and comprise the Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE), the voltage dependent cross-talk and the after-pulse probabilities. With the described setup the absolute PDE can be determined as a function of wavelength covering a spectral range from 350 to 1000nm. In addition, a method is presented which allows to study the pixel uniformity in terms of the spatial variations of sensitivity and gain. The results from various commercially available SiPMs - three HAMAMATSU MPPCs and one SensL SPM - are presented and compared.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent diffuse reflector widely used in light collection systems for particle physics experiments. However, the reflectance of PTFE is a function of its thickness. In this work, we investigate this dependence in air for light of wavelengths 260 nm and 450 nm using two complementary methods. We find that PTFE reflectance for thicknesses from 5 mm to 10 mm ranges from 92.5% to 94.5% at 450 nm, and from 90.0% to 92.0% at 260 nm. We also see that the reflectance of PTFE of a given thickness can vary by as much as 2.7% within the same piece of material. Finally, we show that placing a specular reflector behind the PTFE can recover the loss of reflectance in the visible without introducing a specular component in the reflectance.
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are attractive candidates for light detectors for next generation liquid xenon double-beta decay experiments, like nEXO. In this paper we discuss the requirements that the SiPMs must satisfy in order to be suitable for nEXO and similar experiments, describe the two test setups operated by the nEXO collaboration, and present the results of characterization of SiPMs from several vendors. In particular, we find that the photon detection efficiency at the peak of xenon scintillation light emission (175-178 nm) approaches the nEXO requirements for tested FBK and Hamamatsu devices. Additionally, the nEXO collaboration performed radioassay of several grams of bare FBK devices using neutron activation analysis, indicating levels of 40K, 232Th, and 238U of the order of <0.15, (6.9e10-4 - 1.3e10-2), and <0.11 mBq/kg, respectively.
Silicon Photomultipliers with cell-pitch ranging from 12 $mu$m to 20 $mu$m were tested against neutron irradiation at moderate fluences to study their performance for calorimetric applications. The photosensors were developed by FBK employing the RGB-HD technology. We performed irradiation tests up to $2 times 10^{11}$ n/cm$^2$ (1 MeV eq.) at the INFN-LNL Irradiation Test facility. The SiPMs were characterized on-site (dark current and photoelectron response) during and after irradiations at different fluences. The irradiated SiPMs were installed in the ENUBET compact calorimetric modules and characterized with muons and electrons at the CERN East Area facility. The tests demonstrate that both the electromagnetic response and the sensitivity to minimum ionizing particles are retained after irradiation. Gain compensation can be achieved increasing the bias voltage well within the operation range of the SiPMs. The sensitivity to single photoelectrons is lost at $sim 10^{10}$ n/cm$^2$ due to the increase of the dark current.