scholarly journals Single-photon imaging in complementary metal oxide semiconductor processes

2014 ◽  
Vol 372 (2012) ◽  
pp. 20130100 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Charbon
Keyword(s):  
Metal Oxide ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Counting ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Single Photon Counting ◽  
Avalanche Diodes ◽  
Trade Offs

This paper describes the basics of single-photon counting in complementary metal oxide semiconductors, through single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), and the making of miniaturized pixels with photon-counting capability based on SPADs. Some applications, which may take advantage of SPAD image sensors, are outlined, such as fluorescence-based microscopy, three-dimensional time-of-flight imaging and biomedical imaging, to name just a few. The paper focuses on architectures that are best suited to those applications and the trade-offs they generate. In this context, architectures are described that efficiently collect the output of single pixels when designed in large arrays. Off-chip readout circuit requirements are described for a variety of applications in physics, medicine and the life sciences. Owing to the dynamic nature of SPADs, designs featuring a large number of SPADs require careful analysis of the target application for an optimal use of silicon real estate and of limited readout bandwidth. The paper also describes the main trade-offs involved in architecting such chips and the solutions adopted with focus on scalability and miniaturization.

scholarly journals Fast-Gated 16 × 1 SPAD Array for Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging Applications

Instruments ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Marco Renna ◽  
Ji Hyun Nam ◽  
Mauro Buttafava ◽  
Federica Villa ◽  
Andreas Velten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Counting ◽  
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Single Photon Detector ◽  
Single Photon Counting ◽  
Timing Resolution ◽  
Fast Gating ◽  
Non Line Of Sight

In this paper we present a novel single-photon detector specifically designed for Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) imaging applications within the framework of the DARPA REVEAL program. The instrument is based on a linear 16 × 1 Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array operated in fast-gated mode by a novel fast-gating Active Quenching Circuit (AQC) array, which enables the detectors with sub-ns transitions thanks to a SPAD-dummy approach. The detector exhibits a timing resolution better than 50 ps (Full Width at Half Maximum - FWHM) at a measurement repetition rate up to 40 MHz, and provides 16 independent outputs compatible with commercial Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting (TCSPC) instrumentation. The instrument has been experimentally characterized and operated in preliminary NLOS imaging acquisitions where a 40 × 60 cm hidden object is successfully reconstructed by scanning over a grid of 150 × 150 positions.

scholarly journals High Dynamic Range Imaging with TDC-Based CMOS SPAD Arrays

Instruments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Zarghami ◽  
Leonardo Gasparini ◽  
Matteo Perenzoni ◽  
Lucio Pancheri
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Counting ◽  
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
High Dynamic Range ◽  
Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Photon Flux ◽  
Integration Time ◽  
Rate Dependent ◽  
High Dynamic

This paper investigates the use of image sensors based on complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging by combining photon counts and timestamps. The proposed method is validated experimentally with an SPAD detector based on a per-pixel time-to-digital converter (TDC) architecture. The detector, featuring 32 × 32 pixels with 44.64-µm pitch, 19.48% fill factor, and time-resolving capability of ~295-ps, was fabricated in a 150-nm CMOS standard technology. At high photon flux densities, the pixel output is saturated when operating in photon-counting mode, thus limiting the DR of this imager. This limitation can be overcome by exploiting the distribution of photon arrival times in each pixel, which shows an exponential behavior with a decay rate dependent on the photon flux level. By fitting the histogram curve with the exponential decay function, the extracted time constant is used to estimate the photon count. This approach achieves 138.7-dB dynamic range within 30-ms of integration time, and can be further extended by using a timestamping mechanism with a higher resolution.

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Imaging via Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1930
Author(s):  
Chengkun Fu ◽  
Huaibin Zheng ◽  
Gao Wang ◽  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Imaging ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Photon Counting ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Single Photon Counting ◽  
Imaging Results ◽  
Noise Ratio

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging under the condition of weak light and low signal-to-noise ratio is a challenging task. In this paper, a 3D imaging scheme based on time-correlated single-photon counting technology is proposed and demonstrated. The 3D imaging scheme, which is composed of a pulsed laser, a scanning mirror, single-photon detectors, and a time-correlated single-photon counting module, employs time-correlated single-photon counting technology for 3D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Aided by the range-gated technology, experiments show that the proposed scheme can image the object when the signal-to-noise ratio is decreased to −13 dB and improve the structural similarity index of imaging results by 10 times. Then we prove the proposed scheme can image the object in three dimensions with a lateral imaging resolution of 512 × 512 and an axial resolution of 4.2 mm in 6.7 s. At last, a high-resolution 3D reconstruction of an object is also achieved by using the photometric stereo algorithm.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document