Investigation of the processes of heat propagation in W/FeSb2/W detection pixel of the single photon thermoelectric detector

Abstract

The results are presented of the computer modeling of the processes of heat propagation in the single layer detection pixel of the thermoelectric single photon detector after the absorption of photon with the energy of 1–1000 eV. The different geometries of the detection pixel consisting of the tungsten absorber and thermoelectric sensor from the strongly correlated FeSb₂ semiconductor are considered. The differences of temporal dependence of the signal appearing on the sensor for various size of the sensitive pixel elements are studied in detail. The energy resolution and the count rate of the detector are estimated. It is shown that the FeSb₂ sensor of thermoelectric detector provides the generation of significantly higher signal as compared with the CeB₆ sensor and has the perspectives of application in the single photon detectors with the high energy resolution.