Time-gated single photon counting CMOS circuits
In the last years, the scientific and industrial worlds have shown a large interest in arrays of CMOS Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) operated in gated-mode, in combination with pulsed laser sources, for single photon counting and Time-of-Flight (ToF) applications. Gated operation allows a time selection of incoming photons, reduces the effect of Dark Counts and afterpulsing, and improves the overall signal-to-noise ratio of measurements. Moreover the CMOS compatibility allows to integrate on-chip both sensing, time-gating, and smart preprocessing of photon timings.
My Ph.D. research aims at devising and developing application specific CMOS integrated circuits containing arrays of SPAD detectors or Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) capable of working in gated-mode to allow for low-noise, high dynamic range measurements, which will enable new techniques for biological, medical and industrial applications, as well as to improve existing techniques such as LIDAR, time resolved Diffused Optical Imaging (DOI) and Raman Spectroscopy.
An example of application in which a chip developed during my Ph.D. will be employed is an innovative non-invasive, point-of-care, low-cost and high-specificity imaging system for diagnosing breast cancer. A gated SiPM combined with a pulsed LASERs will provide time-domain optical tomography and quantitative functional characterization of breast tissues.
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