We present a versatile analytic model describing Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) for P-on-N silicon photomultipliers, with possible applications for device characterization, PDE extrapolation from limited data, simulation and design optimization. Using device specific parameters, SiPM PDE is modeled as a function of wavelength, angle of incidence, voltage, and limited temperature range. By factoring the PDE into transmission and internal efficiency, the performance in liquid nobles and other dense media can be predicted. We present the measurement of the absolute PDE from 350 to 830 nm at 163 K for two VUV sensitive SiPMs: a Hamamatsu VUV4 and Fondazione Bruno Kessler VUV-HD Technology. Additional measurements of relative PDE versus angle are also included. We successfully fit the model to the data, compare with literature and show the model's predictive power by extrapolating PDE to new wavelengths and operation in liquid xenon and argon, which is useful for estimating performance and the impact of external cross-talk in future large-scale experiments. Lastly we use the model to investigate optimizing efficiency for specific applications in astroparticle physics and quantum computing.
@article{arxiv.2508.16005,
title = {Demonstrating a broadband Photon Detection Efficiency model on VUV sensitive Silicon Photomultipliers},
author = {Austin de St Croix and Harry Lewis and Kurtis Raymond and Fabrice Retière and Maia Henriksson-Ward and Giacomo Gallina and Nicholas Morrison and Aileen Zhang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.16005},
year = {2026}
}