Speakers
Description
The study examines the applicability of the commercially available silicon PIN photodiode BPW34 without internal amplification as a photodetector for scintillation light. Specifically, the photodiode response to cosmic-muon-induced light flashes is investigated when optically coupled to a bismuth germanate crystal (BGO) and a plastic scintillator. The electronic readout is utilized as a means of measuring and evaluating this response. During external triggering from an independent silicon photomultiplier channel (SiPM), synchronized photodiode signals are observed for both the plastic and BGO scintillators. The obtained oscilloscope traces demonstrate that BPW34 can serve as a low-cost alternative to photodetectors with internal amplification for a limited class of scintillation applications where the expected light signal is sufficiently large and a time resolution better than approximately 100 ns is not required. The current results therefore establish a baseline for signal visibility in these geometries, while indicating the need for future quantitative measurements of single-event registration efficiency.
