Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are quickly replacing traditional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) as the readout of choice for gamma-ray scintillation detectors in space. While they offer substantial size, weight and power saving, they have shown to be susceptible to radiation damage. SensL SiPMs with different cell sizes were irradiated with 64 MeV protons and 8 MeV electrons. In general, results show larger cell sizes are more susceptible to radiation damage with the largest 50 um SiPMs showing the greatest increase in current as a function of dose. Current increases were observed for doses as low at ~2 rad(Si) for protons and ~20 rad(Si) for electrons. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Strontium Iodide Radiation Instrument (SIRI-1) experienced a 528 uA increase in the bias current of the on-board 2x2 SensL J-series 60035 SiPM over its one-year mission in sun-synchronous orbit. The work here focuses on the increase in bulk current observed with increasing radiation damage and was performed to better quantify this effect as a function of dose for future mission. These include the future NRL mission SIRI-2, the follow on to SIRI-1, Glowbug and the GAGG Radiation Instrument (GARI).
In this paper, we report the measurement of the neutron radiation hardness of custom Silicon Photomultipliers arrays (SiPMs) manufactured by three companies: Hamamatsu (Japan), AdvanSiD (Italy) and SensL (Ireland). These custom SiPMs consist of a 2 x 3 array of 6 x 6 mm^2 monolithic cells with pixel sizes of respectively 50 um (Hamamatsu and SensL) and 30 um (AdvanSid). A sample from each vendor has been exposed to neutrons generated by the Elbe Positron Source facility (Dresden), up to a total fluence of ~ 8.5 x 10^11 n_(1 MeV)/cm^2. Test results show that the dark current increases almost li…
A SensL MicroFC-SMT-60035 6x6 mm$^2$ silicon photo-multiplier coated with a NOL-1 wavelength shifter have been tested in the liquid xenon to detect the 175-nm scintillation light. For comparison, a Hamamatsu vacuum ultraviolet sensitive MPPC VUV3 3x3 mm$^2$ was tested under the same conditions. The photodetection efficiency of $13.1 \pm 2.5$% and $6.0 \pm 1.0$%, correspondingly, is obtained.
The silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are commonly used in the construction of radiation detectors such as those used in high energy experiments and its applications, where an excellent time resolution is required for triggering. In most of this cases, the trigger systems electric charge information is discarded due to limitations in data acquisition. In this work we propose a method using a simple radiation detector based on an organic plastic scintillator $2\times2\times0.3$~cm$^3$ size, to estimate the electric charge obtained from the acquisition of the fast output signal of a SensL SiPM m…
Radiation damage of J-series silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) has been studied in the context of using these photodetectors in future space-borne scintillation detectors. Several SiPM samples were exposed to 101.4 MeV protons, with 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence ranging from 1.27*10^8 n/cm^2 to 1.23*10^10 n/cm^2 . After the irradiation, the SiPMs experienced a large increase in the dark current and noise, which may pose problems for long-running space missions in terms of power consumption, thermal control and detection of low-energy events. Measurements performed with a CeBr3 scintillator c…
Next generation multi-ton scale noble liquid experiments have the unique opportunity to discover dark matter particles at the TeV scale, reaching the sensitivity of 10^-48 cm2 in the WIMP nucleon scattering cross-section. A prerequisite will be the reduction of radiogenic background sources to negligible levels. This is only possible if ultra pure high efficiency photosensors are available for the scintillation light readout. Current experiments (e.g. Xenon, LUX, Darkside, ArDM) use cryogenic PMTs as photosensors. An attractive alternative is represented by silicon photomultiplier arrays (SiPM…
We report on the measurement of the neutron radiation hardness of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) manufactured by Hamamatsu Corporation in Japan and SensL in Ireland. Samples from both companies were irradiated by neutrons created by a 1 GeV electron beam hitting a thin lead target at Jefferson Lab Hall A. More tests regarding the temperature dependence of the neutron radiation damage and self-annealing were performed on Hamamatsu SiPMs using a calibrated Am-Be neutron source from the Jefferson Lab Radiation Control group. As the result of irradiation both dark current and dark rate increase …
The current understanding of radiation tollerance of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) is reviewd. Radiation damage in silicon sensors is briefly introduced, surface and bulk effects are separately addressed. Results on the operation of irradiated SiPMs with X-ray, gamma, electron, proton and neutron sources are presented. The most critical effect of radiation on SiPMs is the increase of dark count rate, which makes it impossible to resolve signals generated by a single photon from the noise. Methods to characterize irradiated SiPMs after their single photo-electron resolution is lost are discu…
This paper discusses the effects of radiation damage to SiPMs on the performances of plastic scintillator counters with series-connected SiPM readout, focusing on timing measurements. The performances of a counter composed of a $120 \times 40 \times5~\mathrm{mm}^3$ scintillator tile read out by two sets of six SiPMs from AdvanSiD connected in series attached on the short sides are presented, for different combinations of SiPMs at various levels of irradiation. Firstly, six SiPMs were equally irradiated with electrons from $^{90}$Sr sources up to a fluence of $Φ_\mathrm{e^-}\approx 3 \times 10^…
Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPM) are an excellent choice for the scintillator light readout at hadron calorimeters due to their insensitivity to magnetic fields, low operating voltages, low cost, compactness and mechanical endurance. They are already successfully utilized in Projectile Spectator Detector (PSD) of NA61 at CERN, and will be utilized soon in PSD of CBM at FAIR and Forward Hadron CALorimeters (FHCAL) of BM@N at NICA heavy-ion collision experiments. The main issue of SiPM application is their degradation due to high neutron fluence that can reach up to 2E11 neq/cm2 per year of the e…
Recently, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have been used in several space-borne missions, owing to their solid state, compact size, low operating voltage, and insensitivity to magnetic fields. However, operating SiPMs in space results in radiation damage and degraded performance. In-orbit quantitative studies on these effects are limited. In this study, we present in-orbit SiPM characterization results obtained by the second detector of the Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID-02), which was launched on 6 November 2020. An increase in dark current of $\sim$100 $μ$A/year per SiPM chip (model M…
The characterisation of radiation-damaged SiPMs is a major challenge, when the average time between dark counts approaches, or even exceeds, the signal decay time. In this note a collection of formulae is presented, which have been developed and used for the analysis of current measurements for SiPMs in the dark and illuminated by an LED, before and after hadron irradiation. It is shown, how parameters like the breakdown voltage, the quenching resistance, the dark-count rate, the reduction of the photo-detection efficiency due to dark counts and the Geiger discharge probability can be estimate…
Prototype SiPMs with 4384 pixels of dimensions $15 \times 15~μ$m$^2$ produced by KETEK have been irradiated with reactor neutrons to eight fluences between $10^9$ and $5\times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$. For temperatures between $-30~^\circ $C and $+30~^\circ $C capacitance-voltage, admittance-frequency, current-forward voltage, current-reverse voltage and charge-voltage measurements with and without illumination by a sub-nanosecond laser have been performed. The data have been analysed using different methods in order to extract the dependence on neutron fluence and temperature of the electrical para…
The use of Silicon Photo-Multipliers(SiPMs)has become popular in the design of High Energy Physics experimental apparatus with a growing interest for their application in detector area where a significant amount of non-ionising dose is delivered. For these devices, the main effect caused by the neutron fluence is a linear increase of the leakage current. In this paper, we present a technique that provides a partial recovery of the neutron damage on SiPMs by means of an Electrical Induced Annealing. Tests were performed, at the temperature of 20C, on a sample of three SiPM arrays (2x3) of 6 mm^…
A dedicated single-cell SiPM structure is designed and measured to investigate the radiation damage effects on the gain and breakdown voltage of SiPMs exposed to a reactor neutron fluence up to $Φ$ = 5e13 cm$^{-2}$. The cell has a pitch of 15 $μ$m. Results of the measurements and analysis of the IV-curves are presented. Impact of the self-heating effect was investigated. The radiation damage uniformity of 1 cell and 120 cells was checked up to $U_\mathit{ov}$ = 1.7 V. Fluence dependence of the breakdown voltage from the current measurements $U^{IV}_\mathit{bd}$ was extracted and compared to th…
The last decade has increasingly seen the use of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) instead of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). This is due to various advantages of the former on the latter like its smaller size, lower operating voltage, higher detection efficiency, insensitivity to magnetic fields and mechanical robustness to launch vibrations. All these features make SiPMs ideal for use on space based experiments where the detectors require to be compact, lightweight and capable of surviving launch conditions. A downside with the use of this novel type of detector in space conditions is its susce…
A dedicated single-cell SiPM structure is designed and measured to investigate the radiation damage effects on the gain and turn-off voltage of SiPMs exposed to a reactor neutron fluence up to $Φ$ = 5e13 cm$^{-2}$. The cell has a pitch of 15 $μ$m. The fluence dependence of gain and turn-off voltage are reported. A reduction of the gain by 19% and an increase of $V_{off}$ by $\approx$0.5 V is observed after $Φ$ = 5e13 cm$^{-2}$.
Silicon Photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are very sensitive photo-detectors that experienced a big development in the last years in several applications, like LIDAR, astrophysics, medical imaging and high energy physics (HEP) experiments. In HEP experiments, in particular, they are often exposed to significant radiation doses. The main purpose of this manuscript is the characterization of several FBK SiPM technologies when exposed to 74 $MeV$ protons with a total fluence comparable to the one that they would experience in space along circular Low Earth Orbits (LEO), Polar, during a five years mission…
Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have become popular light conversion devices in recent years due to their low bias voltage and sensitivity to wavelengths emitted from common scintillating materials. These properties make them particularly attractive for resource-constrained missions such as space-based detector applications. However the space radiation environment is known to be particularly harsh on semiconductor devices, where high particle fluences can degrade performance over time. The radiation hardness of a particular SiPM, manufactured by ON Semiconductor (formally SensL), has yet to b…
We report on the measurement of the radiation hardness of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) manufactured by Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Italy (1 mm$^2$ and 6.2 mm$^2$), Center of Perspective Technology and Apparatus in Russia (1 mm$^2$ and 4.4 mm$^2$), and Hamamatsu Corporation in Japan (1 mm$^2$). The SiPMs were irradiated using a beam of 212 MeV protons at Massachusetts General Hospital, receiving fluences of up to $3 \times 10^{10}$ protons per cm$^2$ with the SiPMs at operating voltage. Leakage currents were read continuously during the irradiation. The delivery of the protons was paused pe…
The effects of radiation damage in silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) from gamma rays have been measured and compared with the damage produced by neutrons. Several types of MPPCs from Hamamatsu were exposed to gamma rays and neutrons at the Solid State Gamma Ray Irradiation Facility (SSGRIF) at Brookhaven National Lab and the Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki) in Debrecen, Hungary. The gamma ray exposures ranged from 1 krad to 1 Mrad and the neutron exposures ranged from 10$^8$ n/cm$^2$ to 10$^{12}$ n/cm$^2$. The main effect of gamma ray damage is an increase in the noise and leakage curren…
The main effect of radiation damage in a Silicon-Photolumtiplier (SiPM) is a dramatic increase in the dark current. The power dissipated, if not properly cooled, heats the SiPM, whose performance parameters depend on temperature. Heating studies were performed with a KETEK SiPM, glued on an Al$_2$O$_3$ substrate, which is either directly connected to the temperature-controlled chuck of a probe station, or through layers of material with well-known thermal resistance. The SiPM is illuminated by a LED operated in DC-mode. The SiPM current is measured and used to determine the steady-state temper…
Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPM) are becoming the photo-detector of choice for increasingly more particle detection applications, from fundamental physics to medical and societal applications. One major consideration for their use at high-luminosity colliders is the radiation damage induced by hadrons, which leads to a dramatic increase of the dark count rate. KETEK SiPMs have been exposed to various fluences of reactor neutrons up to $Φ_{neq}$ = 5$\times$10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ (1 MeV equivalent neutrons). Results from the I-V, and C-V measurements for temperatures between $-$30$^\circ$C and $+$3…
We have investigated the effects of X-ray irradiation to doses of 0, 200 Gy, 20 kGy, 2 MGy, and 20 MGy on the Hamamatsu silicon-photomultiplier (SiPM) S10362-11-050C. The SiPMs were irradiated without applied bias voltage. From current-voltage, capacitance/conductance-voltage, -frequency, pulse-shape, and pulse-area measurements, the SiPM characteristics below and above breakdown voltage were determined. Significant changes of some SiPM parameters are observed. Up to a dose of 20 kGy the performance of the SiPMs is hardly affected by X-ray radiation damage. For doses of 2 and 20 MGy the SiPMs …
POLAR-2 is a space-borne polarimeter, built to investigate the polarization of Gamma-Ray Bursts and help elucidate their mechanisms. The instrument is targeted for launch in 2024 or 2025 aboard the China Space Station and is being developed by a collaboration between institutes from Switzerland, Germany, Poland and China. The instrument will orbit at altitudes between 340km and 450km with an inclination of 42$^{\circ}$ and will be subjected to background radiation from cosmic rays and solar events. It is therefore pertinent to better understand the performance of sensitive devices under space-…
In this work we study the performance of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) light sensors after exposure to the JULIC cyclotron proton beam, of energy $\sim$ 39 MeV, relative to their performance before exposure. The SiPM devices used in this study show a significant change in their behavior and downward shift of their breakdown voltage by as much as $\sim$ 0.4$\pm$0.1 V. Single photon measurements appear to be no longer possible for the SiPMs under study after exposure to a dose of $\sim$ 0.2 Gy (corresponding to an integrated proton flux of $\sim$$ϕ_{p}$=1.06x10$^{8}$ p/cm$^{2}$). No visible dam…
