Prospects of using rare-earth hexaborides in thermoelectric single-photon detectors

• Published in: Semiconductors (Woodbury, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2017-07, Vol.51 (7), p.870-873
• Main Authors: Kuzanyan, A. S., Kuzanyan, A. A., Nikoghosyan, V. R., Gurin, V. N., Volkov, M. P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2016; BORIDES; Cerium; Computer simulation; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; COUNTING RATES; Detectors; ENERGY RESOLUTION; HEAT SINKS; INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; KEV RANGE; Magnetic Materials; Magnetism; MATERIALS SCIENCE; November 15–16; Photons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Propagation; Rare earth elements; SENSORS; St. Petersburg; Superconductivity; Thermoelectricity; Tungsten; XV International Conference “Thermoelectrics and Their Applications—2016”
• ISSN: 1063-7826; 1090-6479
• DOI: 10.1134/S1063782617070235

The results of the numerical simulation of heat propagation processes occurring after the absorption of single photons with energies of 1 eV–1 keV in a three-layer sensor of a thermoelectric detector are analyzed. Different configurations of the sensor with a tungsten absorber, a thermoelectric layer of cerium hexaboride, and a tungsten heat sink are considered. It is shown that sensors for detecting photons of a specific spectral range with the required energy resolution and counting rate can be developed by varying the geometric sizes of the sensor layers. It is concluded that a three-layer sensor has a number of advantages in comparison with a single-layer sensor and has characteristics allowing consideration of the thermoelectric detector as a realistic alternative to superconducting single-photon detectors.