Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are a novel type of semiconductor-based photodetectors suitable for a large variety of applications. In particular they are used for the readout of the scintillator tiles of a highly granular hadronic calorimeter prototype developed in preparation for the future International Linear Collider (ILC) experiment. Furthermore, SiPMs are a promising device for the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging technique. A test stand has been developed to study the characteristic properties of SiPMs and compare sensors from dierent manufacturers which is important in order to find the device best suited for future prototypes and the final detector design. In the context of this thesis the test stand was largely extended in order to allow a more complete characterization of the sensors. Besides the measurement of the breakdown voltage, gain, photon detection efficiency and dark-rate, the new setup allows to determine the cross-talk and after-pulse probability and the temperature dependence of different properties. The results of the individual measurements can be combined to determine the photon-counting resolution of the SiPM which is an important parameter for the calorimeter application. In addition, the spatial uniformity of the response can be studied by scanning the sensor with a small light spot. The measurement process and data analysis were fully automized in order to achieve a simplied and faster characterization procedure which is essential for the characterization of a large number of devices. |