One Million SPADs in Formation: Time-Gated Sensor Sees in 3D!

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

This paper presents a novel 1-megapixel single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) camera with time-gating capabilities, enabling 2D and 3D imaging. The sensor was fabricated in 180nm CMOS technology and demonstrated time-resolved imaging with 3.8ns gating, 24kfps frame rate, and multi-object detection capability in single-photon ToF experiments.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists found a new way to make a super-fast camera that can take 3D pictures. It works by catching really tiny flashes of light to see how far away everything is, even in the dark.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare some disclosures with companies involved in SPAD and imaging technology, namely Fastree3D SA, PI Imaging Technology SA, and Canon Inc. These affiliations might represent a potential conflict of interest related to the presented research.

Identified Limitations

Limited fill factor and PDP

The limited fill factor and photon detection probability (PDP) compared to other SPAD technologies or single-photon counting solutions, such as intensified CCDs or Quanta Image Sensors, could hinder its performance in low-light scenarios or applications requiring high sensitivity. Though the authors mention potential improvements through microlenses, the current values might restrict its applicability in certain fields.

Long data acquisition times for high-precision depth measurements

The paper highlights the long data acquisition times for high-precision depth measurements. While they propose mitigation strategies like increasing the gate scanning pitch and laser power, these trade-offs could impact the sensor's overall performance and suitability for real-time applications.

Limited sensor resolution for some 3D applications

The sensor's resolution, while high for SPAD technology, might still be limiting for certain 3D imaging applications that require finer detail and accuracy. Further scaling of the sensor array while maintaining other performance metrics (like timing resolution and fill factor) would be necessary to address this.

Non-uniformity in gate position and length

The paper shows some non-uniformity in gate position and length across the pixel array due to signal propagation and power routing asymmetry. This non-uniformity needs calibration and could affect the accuracy of time-gating and depth measurements if not properly addressed.

Rating Explanation

This paper presents significant advancements in SPAD image sensor technology, demonstrating a megapixel sensor with time-gating capabilities for both 2D and 3D imaging. The research exhibits strong methodology and provides detailed experimental results. Although certain limitations exist regarding fill factor, acquisition times, and resolution, the overall contribution to the field is substantial, warranting a rating of 4. The declared affiliations represent a potential, but not necessarily realized, conflict of interest; therefore, the rating is not reduced further based on this factor alone.

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Subfield: Instrumentation

File Information

Original Title: Megapixel time-gated SPAD image sensor for 2D and 3D imaging applications

Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM

Privacy: Public