Analysis of nonideal solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM) for optical receivers

Recently, interest has been shown in superlattice avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in which multiple ionisation per initiating carrier per stage occurs as a basis for a solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM). The authors present a new discrete ionisation model for the SSPM which is used to predict the gain and noise characteristics of these devices. The expressions obtained are quite general and can be applied to photomultiplier tubes, single ionisation or two-ionisation superlattice APDs, and conventional APDs as special cases