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Monolithic Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes: SPADs

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Single-Photon Imaging

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 160))

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Abstract

The art of creating monolithic single-photon photodetectors is a mix of design skills and device physics knowledge, and it requires an understanding of the mechanisms underlying single-photon detection in highly complex integrated systems. This chapter begins with the fundamentals of avalanching, the basics for integration of avalanche photodiodes operating in Geiger-mode, and the issues associated with large arrays. We outline the techniques that made it possible to integrate single-photon detectors in standard CMOS processes, and to design compact ancillary electronics for operating and reading pixels based on these devices. Finally, we present a description of several readout architectures designed for massive arrays of single-photon detectors. A discussion of future trends in the context of the most advanced applications in various fields of research concludes this chapter. The art of creating monolithic single-photon photodetectors is a mix of design skills and device physics knowledge, and it requires an understanding of the mechanisms underlying single-photon detection in highly complex integrated systems. This chapter begins with the fundamentals of avalanching, the basics for integration of avalanche photodiodes operating in Geiger-mode, and the issues associated with large arrays. We outline the techniques that made it possible to integrate single-photon detectors in standard CMOS processes, and to design compact ancillary electronics for operating and reading pixels based on these devices. Finally, we present a description of several readout architectures designed for massive arrays of single-photon detectors. A discussion of future trends in the context of the most advanced applications in various fields of research concludes this chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A TDC is a sort of chronometer capable of discerning pulse position with high precision.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to current and former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of the AQUA group and the MEGAFRAME project that made this research possible. Special thanks go to Lucio Carrara, Marek Gersbach, Cristiano Niclass, and Maximilian Sergio who were responsible for the designs outlined here, as well as Fausto Borghetti, Claudio Favi, Robert Henderson, Mohammad Karami, Theo Kluter, Estelle Labonne, Yuki Maruyama, Justin Richardson, David Stoppa, and Richard Walker who codesigned the chips. The authors acknowledge Giordano Beretta, Claudio Bruschini, Dmitri Boiko, Neil Gunther, Lindsay Grant, David Li, and Luciano Sbaiz for useful discussions.

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  1. Technical University Delft, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD, Delft, The Netherlands

    Edoardo Charbon & Matthew W. Fishburn

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  1. Edoardo Charbon
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Correspondence to Edoardo Charbon .

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  1. CSEM SA, Bahnhofstrasse 1, Landquart, 7302, Switzerland

    Peter Seitz

  2. Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft, 2628 CD, Netherlands

    Albert JP Theuwissen

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Charbon, E., Fishburn, M.W. (2011). Monolithic Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes: SPADs. In: Seitz, P., Theuwissen, A. (eds) Single-Photon Imaging. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 160. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18443-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18443-7_7

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