Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) with improved characteristics are being developed by Hamamatsu Photonics for the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment. More than 30 prototypes have been made and investigated during the last 3 years in a development program, that showed significant progress. The parameters of the most recent APDs including the long-term stability and the effect of a high radiation level with a neutron fluence of 2 x 10(13) n/cm(2) have been studied and are presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.