https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2014-02312-x
Regular Article
Photoelectron multipliers based on avalanche pn − i − pn structures
1 Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 12 Akademika Proskura St., Kharkov 61085, UKraine
2 Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rua Dr. Bento Teobaldo Ferraz, 271, Bloco II, 01140-070 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
a e-mail: lukin.konstantin@gmail.com; lukin@ire.kharkov.ua
Received: 13 September 2014
Revised: 17 October 2014
Published online: 10 December 2014
We present a new physical principle to design an optoelectronic device, which consists of a multilayered semiconductor structure, where the necessary conditions for generation of photoelectrons are met, such that it will enable sequential avalanche multiplication of electrons and holes inside two depletion slabs created around the p − n junctions of a reverse biased pn − i − pn structure. The mathematical model and computer simulations of this Semiconductor Photo-electron Multiplier (SPEM) for different semiconductor materials are presented. Its performance is evaluated and compared with that of conventional devices. The Geiger operational mode is briefly discussed which may be used in Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) as an elementary photo detector to enhance its performance.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2014
