ABSTRACT
Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have emerged as the solid-state alternative to the vacuum tube that is known as the photomultiplier tube in a number of scintillation detection applications ranging from medical imaging to radiation detection and isotope identification. The scintillation crystal is capable of converting the incident gamma rays to visible photons, and the SiPM sensor has the sensitivity to convert the visible photons to an electrical charge, which can be amplified, shaped, and read out by the electronics. SiPM sensor parameters are Breakdown voltage, Photon detection efficiency, Dark count, Gain, Crosstalk, Afterpulsing, Dynamic range. The uniformity of the sensor operating parameters is important for the use of SiPM sensors in high-volume applications. The packaging of the sensor plays a large role in the overall performance of the system and one that is not often considered in assessing sensor performance. SiPM sensor reliability is a key requirement for high-volume applications.
