Digital photon-counting geiger-mode avalanche photodiode solid-state monolithic intensity imaging focal-plane with scalable readout circuitry

US7858917B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Inventors

• Alvin Gabriel Stern · Newton, US
• Brian F. Aull · Cambridge, US
• Bernard B. Kosicki · Acton, US
• Robert K. Reich · Tyngsborough, US
• Bradley Felton · Chippenham, GB
• David C. Shaver · Kingsbury, US
• Andrew H. Loomis · Chelmsford, US
• Douglas J. Young · Stoneham, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 30, 2004
• Grant date: Dec 28, 2010
• Expiry date: Mar 30, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04N25/773
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A photon-counting Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode intensity imaging array includes an array of pixels, each having an avalanche photodiode. A pixel senses an avalanche event and stores, in response to the sensed avalanche event, a single bit digital value therein. An array of accumulators are provided such that each accumulator is associated with a pixel. A row decoder circuit addresses a pixel row within the array of pixels. A bit sensing circuit converts a precharged capacitance into a digital value during read operations.