A Novel High Photon Detection Efficiency Silicon Photomultiplier With Shallow Junction in 0.35 $\mu$ m CMOS

We present a novel silicon photomultiplier based on a shallow junction obtained within a standard 0.35 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor process. The sensitive structure is equipped with a dedicated optical window as well as an optimized antireflective coating. The device exhibits performances comparable to custom-based commercial technologies: an unprecedented photon detection efficiency of 43% at 420 nm, a breakdown voltage temperature dependence of (27.9 ± 0.9) mV/K, a dark count rate of 480 kHz/mm
²
, a gain of 3 × 10
⁶
, and a single photon time resolution of (78 ± 2) ps (FWHM). The process proposed in this letter can be applied to new generation single photon sensors with on-chip integrated intelligent electronics.