Fast timing silicon photomultipliers for scintillation detectors

A new silicon photomultiplier is fabricated for fast timing applications by SensL Technologies Ltd. This new family of silicon photomultiplier, herein referred to as fast SPM devices, is fabricated with a third terminal that has a low output capacitance to improve timing performance. Two fast SPMs (an N-on-P type and a prototype P-on-N type) are assessed for energy and timing performances in scintillation detectors. When coupled with L(Y)SO:Ce crystals, the optimal energy resolutions for the 511 keV photon peak are 13.7% and 13.1%, whereas coincidence resolving times (CRTs) of 184 ± 5 and 157 ± 3 ps are attained with 2 × 2 × 3 mm³ crystals for the N-on-P and Pon-N devices, respectively. For longer crystals (3 × 3 × 20 mm³), more relevant for positron emission tomography, the CRTs are 298 ± 9 and 234 ± 6 ps for the two SPM types, respectively, a significant improvement from standard SPM devices.