The readout electrode assembly of an avalanche particle detector can be effectively protected against sparks and discharges by means of a plurality of resistor pads formed in a dielectric cover layer above the readout pads. The resistor pads may either be connected directly to the readout pads, or may be coupled capacitively by means of a charge spreading pad embedded into the dielectric cover layer and spatially separated from the readout pads. The charge spreading pad allows the distribution of charges to neighboring readout pads, and may hence increase the spatial resolution of the detector device.