Study, simulation and manufacturing of new Geiger-APD for applications in astrophysics and biology

Nowadays, there are two types of sensors to detect the low luminous flux, PMT (PhotoMultiplier Tube) and Geiger-APD (Geiger Avalanche PhotoDiode). The Geiger-APD is a component on Silicon that was developed in the early 90s to detect very low light flux, as is currently the PMT. The main advantages of these devices on the PMT are a very high sensitivity to light (single photon), a very high time resolution (<;100ps), integration into imaging made possible by a great homogeneity. Unfortunately, these devices have some drawbacks compared to PMT; a very small sensitive area (30μm) and a leakage current (Dark Count Rate) higher per unit area.