A low noise and low power cryogenic amplifier for single photoelectron sensitivity with large arrays of SiPMs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cryogenic amplifier with exceptionally low noise and power consumption, optimized for large SiPM arrays in liquid argon and nitrogen, enabling single photoelectron detection.

Contribution

It presents a novel low noise, low power cryogenic amplifier design using a SiGe HBT and differential op-amp for large SiPM arrays in cryogenic environments.

Findings

Input voltage noise below 0.4 nV/√Hz at 77 K

Power consumption around 2.5 mW

Gain-bandwidth product in the GHz range

Abstract

This paper presents a low noise amplifier for large arrays of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) operated in cryogenic environments, especially liquid argon (87 K) and liquid nitrogen (77 K). The goal is for one amplifier to read out a total photosensitive surface of tens of cm$^2$ while retaining the capability to resolve single photoelectron signals. Due to the large capacitance of SiPMs, typically a few nF per cm$^2$, the main contributor to noise is the series (voltage) component. A silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) was selected as the input device of the cryogenic amplifier, followed by a fully differential operational amplifier, operated in an unconventional feedback configuration. The input referred voltage noise of the circuit at 77 K is just below 0.4 nV/$\surd$Hz white (above 100 kHz) and 1 nV/$\surd$Hz at 10 kHz. The value of the base spreading resistance of the HBT at 77 K was determined from noise measurements at different bias currents. Power consumption of the full circuit is about 2.5 mW. The design gives the flexibility to optimally compensate the feedback loop for different values of the input capacitance, and obtain a gain-bandwidth product in the GHz range. The signal-to-noise ratio obtained in reading out SiPMs is discussed for the case of a 300 kHz low pass filter and compared with the upper limit that would derive from applying optimum filtering algorithms.