Passive quenching, signal shapes, and space charge effects in SPADs and SiPMs

In this report we study the dynamics of passive quenching in a single-photon avalanche diode. Our discussion is based on a microscopic description of the electron–hole avalanche coupled to the equivalent circuit of the device, consisting of the quench resistor and the junction capacitance. Analytic expressions for the resulting signal shape are derived from this model for simple electric field configurations, and efficient numerical prescriptions are given for realistic device geometries. Space charge effects arising from the avalanche are included using simulations. They are shown to distort the signal shape, but alter neither its basic characteristics nor the underlying quenching mechanism.