The results of computer simulation of heat distribution processes taking place after the absorption of single photons of 1-1000 eV energy in the three-layer detection pixel of the thermoelectric detector are presented. We considered different geometries of the detection pixel in which (La,Ce)B6 hexaboride is used as a thermoelectric layer and superconducting absorber and heat sink layers are of Nb, Pb and YBCO. The calculations are based on the heat conduction equation and are carried out by the matrix method for differential equations. It is shown, that by changing materials and sizes of the detection pixel’s layers it is possible to obtain transducers for the registration of photons within the given spectral range with the required energy resolution and count rate. It is demonstrated that such detector has a number of advantages, as well as improved characteristics, which give ground to consider the thermoelectric detector as a real alternative to superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.

Date Published: 15 May 2017
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 10229, Photon Counting Applications 2017, 102290P (15 May 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2264543

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10229:
Photon Counting Applications 2017
Ivan Prochazka; Roman Sobolewski; Ralph B. James, Editor(s)