Silicon photomultiplier: application for high-granularity scintillator calorimeters

We describe the properties of the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), carefully studied for scintillator calorimetry application. Over 100 SiPM\´s have been produced and tested. We report also upon the design, construction and operation of a prototype for a high-granularity tile hadron calorimeter with SiPM readout in the framework of a linear collider detector. Scintillating tiles are read out via wavelength-shifting fibers which guides the scintillation light to a SiPM. The prototype "MINICAL" was tested at DESY using a positron test beam. Detector noise, linearity and stability are discussed, and the energy response in a 1 to 6 GeV positron beam is compared with Monte Carlo simulation. The work presented serves to establish the application of SiPM for calorimetry, and leads to the choice of this device for the construction of a 1 m³ calorimeter prototype for tests in hadron beams.