SiPM cryogenic operation down to 77 K

Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) is composed of extremely sensitive photosensors based on the Geiger Mode Avalanche PhotoDiode (GM-APD), which operate as a digital pixel sensitive to single photons. SiPMs are being considered for applications in low temperature environments, such as noble-liquid detectors for dark matter searches or neutrino physics and GM-APD is promising technology for space Compton telescopes. While it is well known that the dark count rate, one of the main limitations of SiPM, is reduced at low temperature, a detailed study of the behavior of the device in cryogenic environment is necessary to assess its performances. In this paper, we present measurements of static parameters as breakdown voltage and quenching resistance of a commercial SiPM (Hamamatsu MPPC S10362-11-100C). Evolution of these parameters as well as junction capacitance between room temperature and 77 K is discussed.