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Abstract

Dark matter search experiments, with liquid noble gas targets, require a detector with a low noise and a high VUV-light sensitivity. Within this thesis it was evaluate whether Digital SiPMs are a suitable candidate. For this, a test-array was developed and characterized at low temperatures. The advantage of digital SiPMs is that Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) are manufactured in a CMOS process so that the readout logic can be placed on the same chip. The output signals are digital, and no readout chip is required, as in the case with common SiPMs. The test array was optimized for a high-fill-factor and possesses a low-power data-driven readout. It houses SPADs of different geometries, to investigate the noise as a function of size and shape. Furthermore, optimizations for the SPAD noise at cold temperatures, were made. At low temperatures of T = 165 K a dark count rate independent of the geometry of 0.02 Hz per mm2 of active area, was observed. An optimal SPAD size was found, for which the fill-factor is 74% when the noisy SPADs are turned off and, finally, a power dissipation of some ∼2 m W was observed. Based on this, a high fill-factor array with a data-driven readout was developed.