Characterization of the first prototypes of silicon photomultiplier fabricated at ITC-irst

This paper reports on the electrical characterization of the first prototypes of Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiodes (GM-APDs) and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) produced at ITC-irst, Trento. Both. static and functional measurements have been performed in dark condition. The static tests, consisting in reverse and forward IV measurements, have been performed on 20 GM-APDs and 90 SiPMs. The breakdown voltage, the quenching resistance value and the current level have been proved to be very uniform. On the other hand, the analysis of the dark signals allowed the extraction of important properties such as the dark count rate, the gain, the after-pulse and optical cross-talk (in case of the SiPMs) rates. These parameters have been evaluated as a function of the bias voltage, showing trends perfectly compatible with the theory of the device.