Radiation Hardness Tests of SiPMs for the JLab Hall D Barrel Calorimeter

TL;DR

This study evaluates the neutron radiation hardness of SiPMs from Hamamatsu and SensL, revealing linear increases in dark current and dark rate with neutron fluence and temperature-dependent self-annealing effects.

Contribution

It provides the first comparative analysis of neutron radiation effects on SiPMs from two manufacturers, including temperature dependence and self-annealing behavior.

Findings

Dark current and dark rate increase linearly with neutron fluence.

Self-annealing effects are temperature dependent.

Hamamatsu and SensL SiPMs show different radiation responses.

Abstract

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 linearly as a function of the 1 MeV equivalent neutron fluence and a temperature dependent self-annealing effect is observed.