Single-photon imaging in complementary metal oxide semiconductor processes

Single-photon imaging in complementary metal oxide semiconductor processes

Charbon, E.

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Microelectronics

2014-02-24

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.

avalanche photodiode
complementary metal oxide semiconductor
single-photon avalanche diode

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ba9ebb0e-5082-45d6-b098-6df245814266

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0100

The Royal Society

0080-4614

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical and physical sciences, 372 (2012), 2014

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(c) 2014 The Author(s)
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