WORKSHOP PAPER
A 256 x 256 SPAD array with in-pixel Time to Amplitude Conversion for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Abstract
A high resolution Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) image sensor based on sample and hold Time to Amplitude Converter (TAC) pixels and a global ramp voltage is presented. The 256 × 256 array achieves an 8 µm Pixel Pitch (PP), 19.63 % Fill Factor (FF), output voltage range (0.7 V) and time jitter of 368 ps at 10 fps employing an off-chip 14-bit differential Analogue to Digital Converter (ADC). A column-parallel flash ADCis also implemented, allowing coarse 3-bin TCSPC histogramming at 4 kfps for video rate fluorescence lifetime imaging.Keywords
SPAD, Single Photon Avalanche Diode, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy,References
1) W. Becker, "Advanced Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting Techniques", Springer Series in Chemical Physics. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2005
2) F. Villa, R. Lussana, D. Bronzi, S. Tisa, A. Tosi, F. Zappa, A. Dalla Mora, D. Contini, D. Durini, S. Weyers, and W. Brockherde, "CMOS Imager With 1024 SPADs and TDCs for Single-Photon Timing and 3-D Time-of-Flight", IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/jstqe.2014.2342197
3) J. Richardson, R. Walker, L. Grant, D. Stoppa, F. Borghetti, E. Charbon, M. Gersbach, and R. K. Henderson, "A 32x32 50ps resolution 10 bit time to digital converter array in 130nm CMOS for time correlated imaging", IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1109/cicc.2009.5280890
4) R. M. Field, S. Realov, and K. L. Shepard, "A 100 fps, time-correlated single-photon-counting-based fluorescence-lifetime imager in 130 nm CMOS", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/jssc.2013.2293777
5) D. Stoppa, F. Borghetti, J. Richardson, R. Walker, L. Grant, R. K. Henderson, M. Gersbach, and E. Charbon, "A 32x32-pixel array with in-pixel photon counting and arrival time measurement in the analog domain", 2009 Proceedings of ESSCIRC, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1109/esscirc.2009.5325970
6) G. Acconcia, M. Crotti, S. Antonioli, I. Rech, and M. Ghioni, "High performance time-to-amplitude converter array", IEEE Nordic-Mediterranean Workshop on Time-to-Digital Converters (NoMe TDC), 2013. https://doi.org/10.1109/nometdc.2013.6658229
7) L. Parmesan, N. A. W. Dutton, N. J. Calder, A. J. Holmes, L. A. Grant, and R. K. Henderson, "A 9.8 µm sample and hold time to amplitude converter CMOS SPAD pixel", 2014 44th European Solid State Device Research Conference (ESSDERC), 2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/essderc.2014.6948817
8) N. A. W. Dutton, L. Parmesan, A. J. Holmes, L. A. Grant, and R. K. Henderson, "320x240 oversampled digital single photon counting image sensor", IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, Digest of Technical Papers, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/vlsic.2014.6858428
9) R. Sanders, A. Draaijer, H. C. Gerritsen, P. M. Houpt, and Y. K. Levine, "Quantitative pH imaging in cells using confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.", Analytical biochemistry, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1006/abio.1995.1285