LinoSPAD2: a 512x1 linear SPAD camera with system-level 135-ps SPTR and a reconfigurable computational engine for time-resolved single-photon imaging

Claudio Bruschini; Samuel Burri; Ermanno Bernasconi; Tommaso Milanese; Arin C. Ulku; Harald Homulle; Edoardo Charbon

doi:10.1117/12.2652248

15 March 2023 LinoSPAD2: a 512×1 linear SPAD camera with system-level 135-ps SPTR and a reconfigurable computational engine for time-resolved single-photon imaging

Claudio Bruschini, Samuel Burri, Ermanno Bernasconi, Tommaso Milanese, Arin C. Ulku, Harald Homulle, Edoardo Charbon

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12430, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XIX; 124300K (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2652248
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The LinoSPAD2 camera combines a 512×1 linear single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array with an FPGA-based photon-counting and time-stamping platform, to create a reconfigurable sensing system capable of detecting single photons. The read-out is fully parallel, where each SPAD is connected to a different FPGA input. The hardware can be reconfigured to achieve different functionalities, such as photon counters, time-to-digital converter (TDC) arrays and histogramming units. Time stamping is performed by an array of 64 TDCs, with 20 ps resolution (LSB), serving 256 channels by means of 4:1 sharing. At sensor level, the pixel pitch is 26.2 μm with a fill factor of 25.1%. The median dark count rate of each SPAD at room temperature is below 100 cps at 6V excess bias, the single-photon timing resolution (SPTR) of each channel is 50 ps FWHM, and the peak photon detection probability reaches ~50% at 510 nm at the same excess bias. The fill factor can be increased by 2.3× by means of microlenses, with good spatial uniformity and flat spectral response above 400 nm. At system level, the average instrument response function (IRF) is 135 ps FWHM. The LinoSPAD2 camera enables a wide range of time-of-flight and time-resolved applications, including 3D imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), heralded spectroscopy, and compressive Raman imaging, to name a few. Thanks to its features, LinoSPAD2 is a novel generation of reconfigurable single-photon image sensors capable of adapting their read-out and processing to match application-specific requirements, and combining SPAD arrays with advanced, massively-parallel computational functionalities.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Claudio Bruschini, Samuel Burri, Ermanno Bernasconi, Tommaso Milanese, Arin C. Ulku, Harald Homulle, and Edoardo Charbon "LinoSPAD2: a 512×1 linear SPAD camera with system-level 135-ps SPTR and a reconfigurable computational engine for time-resolved single-photon imaging", Proc. SPIE 12430, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XIX, 124300K (15 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2652248

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