Simulation and experiment study of performances of the hybrid photomultiplier tube based on a SiC detector

Because of its advantages such as large maximum linear current, fast time response and radiation resistance, the hybrid photomultiplier tube based on a SiC detector (SiC-HPMT) is expected to become an important photon detector for the scintillation detectors used in measuring intense pulsed radiation fields. The performance of the SiC-HPMT is dependent on the electron transport process and properties of the SiC detector. The properties of the SiC detector have been studied in detail. However, how the electron transport process affects the performance of the SiC-HPMT is still unclear. Therefore, the influence of the electron transport process on the performance of the SiC-HPMT was simulated by the CST software. According to the simulation results, the leading edge, the trailing edge and the full width at half maximum of the electron transport time are only 0.24 ns, less than 1.5 ns and less than 1 ns, respectively, which is significantly smaller than the temporal response of the SiC detector. Therefore, the temporal response of the SiC-HPMT is mainly determined by the SiC detector. Moreover, the maximum linear current (MLC) of the SiC-HPMT can be significantly improved by adjusting the distribution of the electric field. The variation trend obtained from experiments is consistent with simulations. The experimental result indicated that the MLC is larger than 1 A. This study provides important theoretical guidance for optimizing the performance of the SiC-HPMT, which can make the SiC-HPMT more advantageous in applications for measuring pulsed radiation fields.