A CMOS Imager for Time-of-Flight and Photon Counting Based on Single Photon Avalanche Diodes and In-Pixel Time-to-Digital Converters

The design of a CMOS image sensor based on single-photon avalanche-diode (SPAD) array with in-pixel time-to-digital converter (TDC) is presented. The architecture of the imager is thoroughly described with emphasis on the characterization of the TDCs array. It is targeted for 3D image reconstruction. Several techniques as fast quenching/recharge circuit with tunable dead-time and time gated-operation are applied to reduce the noise and the power consumption. The chip was fabricated in a 0.18 μm standard CMOS process and implements a double functionality: time-of-flight (ToF) estimation and photon counting. The imager features a programmable time resolution of the array of TDCs down to 145 ps. The measured accuracy of the minimum time bin is lower than ±1LSB DNL and ±1.7 LSB INL. The TDC jitter over the full dynamic range is less than 1 LSB.

[1]  Ángel Rodríguez-Vázquez,et al.  Wide range 8ps incremental resolution time interval generator based on FPGA technology , 2014, 2014 21st IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS).

[2]  M. Gersbach,et al.  A 128 $\times$ 128 Single-Photon Image Sensor With Column-Level 10-Bit Time-to-Digital Converter Array , 2008, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[3]  Maurizio Conti,et al.  State of the art and challenges of time-of-flight PET. , 2009, Physica medica : PM : an international journal devoted to the applications of physics to medicine and biology : official journal of the Italian Association of Biomedical Physics.

[4]  Edoardo Charbon,et al.  A Time-Resolved, Low-Noise Single-Photon Image Sensor Fabricated in Deep-Submicron CMOS Technology , 2012, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[5]  R. Raskar,et al.  Recovering three-dimensional shape around a corner using ultrafast time-of-flight imaging , 2012, Nature Communications.

[6]  P.-A. Besse,et al.  Design and characterization of a CMOS 3-D image sensor based on single photon avalanche diodes , 2005, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[7]  Franco Zappa,et al.  Variable-load quenching circuit for single-photon avalanche diodes. , 2008, Optics express.

[8]  Lars Asplund,et al.  Stereo vision based navigation for automated vehicles in industry , 2009, 2009 IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies & Factory Automation.

[9]  E. Charbon,et al.  Single-photon synchronous detection , 2008, ESSCIRC 2008 - 34th European Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[10]  Edoardo Charbon,et al.  A 32×32 50ps resolution 10 bit time to digital converter array in 130nm CMOS for time correlated imaging , 2009, 2009 IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference.

[11]  Gaetano Palumbo,et al.  Behavioral modeling of statistical phenomena of single‐photon avalanche diodes , 2012, Int. J. Circuit Theory Appl..

[12]  Ángel Rodríguez-Vázquez,et al.  A CMOS 8×8 SPAD array for Time-of-Flight measurement and light-spot statistics , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS2013).

[13]  Angelo Gulinatti,et al.  Improving the performance of silicon single-photon avalanche diodes , 2011, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[14]  Federica Villa,et al.  Low-power 20-meter 3D ranging SPAD camera based on continuous-wave indirect time-of-flight , 2012, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[15]  W. Brockherde,et al.  3D sensor for indirect ranging with pulsed laser source , 2012, Other Conferences.

[16]  Alberto Tosi,et al.  MiSPIA: microelectronic single-photon 3D imaging arrays for low-light high-speed safety and security applications , 2013, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[17]  Á. Rodríguez-Vázquez,et al.  A CMOS 0.18μm 64×64 single photon image sensor with in-pixel 11b time-to-digital converter , 2014, 2014 International Semiconductor Conference (CAS).

[18]  Edoardo Charbon,et al.  A 160×128 single-photon image sensor with on-pixel 55ps 10b time-to-digital converter , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference.