Nano-materials and nano-technologies for novel photon detection systems

The transition from macro to micro-sensor systems in the last decades has been made possible by the use of silicon and by development of micro-technology. Semiconductors opened the door to the realization of sensors based on Very Large Scale Integration Systems in which the external information is transduced into an electrical signal managed directly inside the micro-devices by the use of microelectronics. Up to now, the most powerful integrated systems may be considered the Medipix chip for medical imaging and avalanche photodiodes operated in Geiger mode (SiPMs) for photon radiation detection.