ABSTRACT
Scintillating fibre detectors combine sub-mm resolution particle tracking, precise measurements of the particle stopping power and sub-ns time resolution. Typically, fibres are read out with silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). Hence, if fibres with a few hundred µ m diameter are used, either they are grouped together and coupled with a single SiPM, losing spatial resolution, or a very large number of electronic channels is required. In this article we propose and provide a first demonstration of a novel configuration which allows each individual scintillating fibre to be read out regardless of the size of its diameter, by imaging them with Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array sensors. Differently from SiPMs, SPAD array sensors provide single-photon detection with single-pixel spatial resolution. In addition, O(us) or faster coincidence of detected photons allows to obtain noise-free images. Such a concept can be particularly advantageous if adopted as a neutrino active target, where scintillating fibres alternated along orthogonal directions can provide isotropic, high-resolution tracking in a dense material and reconstruct the kinematics of low-momentum protons (down to 150 MeV/c), crucial for an accurate characterisation of the neutrino-nucleus cross section. In this work the tracking capabilities of a bundle of scintillating fibres coupled to SwissSPAD2 is demonstrated. The impact of such detector configuration in GeV-neutrino experiments is studied with simulations and reported. Finally, future plans, including the development of a new SPAD array sensor optimised for neutrino detection, are discussed.
ABSTRACT
Chip-scale integration is a key enabler for the deployment of photonic technologies. Coherent laser ranging or FMCW LiDAR, a perception technology that benefits from instantaneous velocity and distance detection, eye-safe operation, long-range, and immunity to interference. However, wafer-scale integration of these systems has been challenged by stringent requirements on laser coherence, frequency agility, and the necessity for optical amplifiers. Here, we demonstrate a photonic-electronic LiDAR source composed of a micro-electronic-based high-voltage arbitrary waveform generator, a hybrid photonic circuit-based tunable Vernier laser with piezoelectric actuators, and an erbium-doped waveguide amplifier. Importantly, all systems are realized in a wafer-scale manufacturing-compatible process comprising III-V semiconductors, silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits, and 130-nm SiGe bipolar complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. We conducted ranging experiments at a 10-meter distance with a precision level of 10 cm and a 50 kHz acquisition rate. The laser source is turnkey and linearization-free, and it can be seamlessly integrated with existing focal plane and optical phased array LiDAR approaches.
ABSTRACT
We study theoretically and demonstrate experimentally a 16-band narrow band wavelength selective filter in the near-infrared range. The combination of a pair of distributed Bragg reflectors with a sub-wavelength grating metasurface embedded in the intra-cavity provides a narrow response which can be tuned by adjusting the geometry of the sub-wavelength grating metasurface. The key advantage of this approach is its ease of fabrication, where the spectral response is tuned by merely changing the grating period, resulting in a perfectly planar geometry that can be easily integrated with a broad variety of photodetectors, thus enabling attractive applications such as bio-imaging, time-of-flight sensors and LiDAR. The experimental results are supported by numerical simulations and effective medium theory that unveil the mechanisms that lead to the optical response of the device. It is also shown how the polarization dependence of the structure can be used to determine very accurately the polarization of incoming light.
ABSTRACT
Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLI) has been receiving increased attention in recent years as a powerful diagnostic technique in biological and medical research. However, existing FLI systems often suffer from a tradeoff between processing speed, accuracy, and robustness. Inspired by the concept of Edge Artificial Intelligence (Edge AI), we propose a robust approach that enables fast FLI with no degradation of accuracy. This approach couples a recurrent neural network (RNN), which is trained to estimate the fluorescence lifetime directly from raw timestamps without building histograms, to SPAD TCSPC systems, thereby drastically reducing transfer data volumes and hardware resource utilization, and enabling real-time FLI acquisition. We train two variants of the RNN on a synthetic dataset and compare the results to those obtained using center-of-mass method (CMM) and least squares fitting (LS fitting). Results demonstrate that two RNN variants, gated recurrent unit (GRU) and long short-term memory (LSTM), are comparable to CMM and LS fitting in terms of accuracy, while outperforming them in the presence of background noise by a large margin. To explore the ultimate limits of the approach, we derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound of the measurement, showing that RNN yields lifetime estimations with near-optimal precision. To demonstrate real-time operation, we build a FLI microscope based on an existing SPAD TCSPC system comprising a 32[Formula: see text]32 SPAD sensor named Piccolo. Four quantized GRU cores, capable of processing up to 4 million photons per second, are deployed on the Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA that controls the Piccolo. Powered by the GRU, the FLI setup can retrieve real-time fluorescence lifetime images at up to 10 frames per second. The proposed FLI system is promising and ideally suited for biomedical applications, including biological imaging, biomedical diagnostics, and fluorescence-assisted surgery, etc.
ABSTRACT
Significance: Fluorescence guidance is used clinically by surgeons to visualize anatomical and/or physiological phenomena in the surgical field that are difficult or impossible to detect by the naked eye. Such phenomena include tissue perfusion or molecular phenotypic information about the disease being resected. Conventional fluorescence-guided surgery relies on long, microsecond scale laser pulses to excite fluorescent probes. However, this technique only provides two-dimensional information; crucial depth information, such as the location of malignancy below the tissue surface, is not provided. Aim: We developed a depth sensing imaging technique using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) time-of-flight (TOF) technology to sense the depth of target tissue while overcoming the influence of tissue optical properties and fluorescent probe concentration. Approach: The technology is based on a large-format (512×512 pixel), binary, gated, single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor with an 18 ps time-gate step, synchronized with a picosecond pulsed laser. The fast response of the sensor was developed and tested for its ability to quantify fluorescent inclusions at depth and optical properties in tissue-like phantoms through analytical model fitting of the fast temporal remission data. Results: After calibration and algorithmic extraction of the data, the SPAD LiDAR technique allowed for sub-mm resolution depth sensing of fluorescent inclusions embedded in tissue-like phantoms, up to a maximum of 5 mm in depth. The approach provides robust depth sensing even in the presence of variable tissue optical properties and separates the effects of fluorescence depth from absorption and scattering variations. Conclusions: LiDAR TOF fluorescence imaging using an SPAD camera provides both fluorescence intensity images and the temporal profile of fluorescence, which can be used to determine the depth at which the signal is emitted over a wide field of view. The proposed tool enables fluorescence imaging at a higher depth in tissue and with higher spatial precision than standard, steady-state fluorescence imaging tools, such as intensity-based near-infrared fluorescence imaging, optical coherence tomography, Raman spectroscopy, or confocal microscopy. Integration of this technique into a standard surgical tool could enable rapid, more accurate estimation of resection boundaries, thereby improving the surgeon's efficacy and efficiency, and ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Humans , Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Phantoms, Imaging , Optical Imaging , Spectrum Analysis, Raman/methods , Fluorescent DyesABSTRACT
The analysis of proteins in the gas phase benefits from detectors that exhibit high efficiency and precise spatial resolution. Although modern secondary electron multipliers already address numerous analytical requirements, additional methods are desired for macromolecules at energies lower than currently used in post-acceleration detection. Previous studies have proven the sensitivity of superconducting detectors to high-energy particles in time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Here, we demonstrate that superconducting nanowire detectors are exceptionally well suited for quadrupole mass spectrometry and exhibit an outstanding quantum yield at low-impact energies. At energies as low as 100 eV, the sensitivity of these detectors surpasses conventional ion detectors by three orders of magnitude, and they offer the possibility to discriminate molecules by their impact energy and charge. We demonstrate three developments with these compact and sensitive devices, the recording of 2D ion beam profiles, photochemistry experiments in the gas phase, and advanced cryogenic electronics to pave the way toward highly integrated detectors.
ABSTRACT
SwissSPAD3 is the latest of a family of widefield time-gated SPAD imagers developed for fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLI) applications. Its distinctive features are (i) the ability to define shorter gates than its predecessors (width W < 1 ns), (ii) support for laser repetition rates up to at least 80 MHz and (iii) a dual-gate architecture providing an effective duty cycle of 100%. We present widefield macroscopic FLI measurements of short lifetime NIR dyes, analyzed using the phasor approach. The results are compared with those previously obtained with SwissSPAD2 and to theoretical predictions.
ABSTRACT
The correlation properties of light provide an outstanding tool to overcome the limitations of traditional imaging techniques. A relevant case is represented by correlation plenoptic imaging (CPI), a quantum-inspired volumetric imaging protocol employing spatio-temporally correlated photons from either entangled or chaotic sources to address the main limitations of conventional light-field imaging, namely, the poor spatial resolution and the reduced change of perspective for 3D imaging. However, the application potential of high-resolution imaging modalities relying on photon correlations is limited, in practice, by the need to collect a large number of frames. This creates a gap, unacceptable for many relevant tasks, between the time performance of correlated-light imaging and that of traditional imaging methods. In this article, we address this issue by exploiting the photon number correlations intrinsic in chaotic light, combined with a cutting-edge ultrafast sensor made of a large array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). This combination of source and sensor is embedded within a novel single-lens CPI scheme enabling to acquire 10 volumetric images per second. Our results place correlated-photon imaging at a competitive edge and prove its potential in practical applications.
ABSTRACT
The overall sensitivity of frontside-illuminated, silicon single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays has often suffered from fill factor limitations. The fill factor loss can however be recovered by employing microlenses, whereby the challenges specific to SPAD arrays are represented by large pixel pitch (> 10â µm), low native fill factor (as low as â¼10%), and large size (up to 10 mm). In this work we report on the implementation of refractive microlenses by means of photoresist masters, used to fabricate molds for imprints of UV curable hybrid polymers deposited on SPAD arrays. Replications were successfully carried out for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, at wafer reticle level on different designs in the same technology and on single large SPAD arrays with very thin residual layers (â¼10â µm), as needed for better efficiency at higher numerical aperture (NA > 0.25). In general, concentration factors within 15-20% of the simulation results were obtained for the smaller arrays (32×32 and 512×1), achieving for example an effective fill factor of 75.6-83.2% for a 28.5â µm pixel pitch with a native fill factor of 28%. A concentration factor up to 4.2 was measured on large 512×512 arrays with a pixel pitch of 16.38â µm and a native fill factor of 10.5%, whereas improved simulation tools could give a better estimate of the actual concentration factor. Spectral measurements were also carried out, resulting in good and uniform transmission in the visible and NIR.
ABSTRACT
Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a powerful imaging technique that enables the visualization of biological samples at the molecular level by measuring the fluorescence decay rate of fluorescent probes. This provides critical information about molecular interactions, environmental changes, and localization within biological systems. However, creating high-resolution lifetime maps using conventional FLIM systems can be challenging, as it often requires extensive scanning that can significantly lengthen acquisition times. This issue is further compounded in three-dimensional (3D) imaging because it demands additional scanning along the depth axis. To tackle this challenge, we developed a novel computational imaging technique called light field tomographic FLIM (LIFT-FLIM). Our approach allows for the acquisition of volumetric fluorescence lifetime images in a highly data-efficient manner, significantly reducing the number of scanning steps required compared to conventional point-scanning or line-scanning FLIM imagers. Moreover, LIFT-FLIM enables the measurement of high-dimensional data using low-dimensional detectors, which are typically low-cost and feature a higher temporal bandwidth. We demonstrated LIFT-FLIM using a linear single-photon avalanche diode array on various biological systems, showcasing unparalleled single-photon detection sensitivity. Additionally, we expanded the functionality of our method to spectral FLIM and demonstrated its application in high-content multiplexed imaging of lung organoids. LIFT-FLIM has the potential to open up new avenues in both basic and translational biomedical research.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) in 55â nm bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) technology. In order to realize a SPAD having sub-20â V breakdown voltage for mobile applications while preventing high tunneling noise, a high-voltage N-well available in BCD is utilized to implement the avalanche multiplication region. The resulting SPAD has a breakdown voltage of 18.4â V while achieving an excellent dark count rate of 4.4 cps/µm2 at the excess bias voltage of 7â V in spite of the advanced technology node. At the same time, the device achieves a high peak photon detection probability (PDP) of 70.1% at 450â nm thanks to the high and uniform E-field. Its PDP values at 850 and 940â nm, wavelengths of interest for 3D ranging applications reach 7.2 and 3.1%, respectively, with the use of deep N-well. The timing jitter of the SPAD, full width at half maximum (FWHM), is 91 ps at 850â nm. It is expected that the presented SPAD enables cost-effective time-of-flight and LiDAR sensors with the advanced standard technology for many mobile applications.
ABSTRACT
Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is a promising noninvasive technique for monitoring cerebral blood flow and measuring cortex functional activation tasks. Taking multiple parallel measurements has been shown to increase sensitivity, but is not easily scalable with discrete optical detectors. Here we show that with a large 500 × 500 SPAD array and an advanced FPGA design, we achieve an SNR gain of almost 500 over single-pixel mDCS performance. The system can also be reconfigured to sacrifice SNR to decrease correlation bin width, with 400â ns resolution being demonstrated over 8000 pixels.
ABSTRACT
We report on LinoSPAD2, a single-photon camera system, comprising a 512×1 single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) front-end and one or two FPGA-based back-ends. Digital signals generated by the SPADs are processed by the FPGA in real time, whereas the FPGA offers full reconfigurability at a very high level of granularity both in time and space domains. The LinoSPAD2 camera system can process 512 SPADs simultaneously through 256 channels, duplicated on each FPGA-based back-end, with a bank of 64 time-to-digital converters (TDCs) operating at 133 MSa/s, whereas each TDC has a time resolution of 20 ps (LSB). To the best of our knowledge, LinoSPAD2 is the first fully reconfigurable SPAD camera system of large format. The SPAD front-end features a pitch of 26.2 µm, a native fill factor of 25.1%, and a microlens array achieving 2.3× concentration factor. At room temperature, the median dark count rate (DCR) is 80 cps at 7 V excess bias, the peak photon detection probability (PDP) is 53% at 520 nm wavelength, and the single-photon timing resolution (SPTR) is 50 ps FWHM. The instrument response function (IRF) is around 100 ps FWHM at system level. The LinoSPAD2 camera system is suitable for numerous applications, including LiDAR imaging, heralded spectroscopy, compressive Raman sensing, and other computational imaging techniques.
ABSTRACT
Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLI) provides a unique contrast mechanism to monitor biological parameters and molecular events in vivo. Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) cameras have been recently demonstrated in FLI microscopy (FLIM) applications, but their suitability for in vivo macroscopic FLI (MFLI) in deep tissues remains to be demonstrated. Herein, we report in vivo NIR MFLI measurement with SwissSPAD2, a large time-gated SPAD camera. We first benchmark its performance in well-controlled in vitro experiments, ranging from monitoring environmental effects on fluorescence lifetime, to quantifying Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) between dyes. Next, we use it for in vivo studies of target-drug engagement in live and intact tumor xenografts using FRET. Information obtained with SwissSPAD2 was successfully compared to that obtained with a gated intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera, using two different approaches. Our results demonstrate that SPAD cameras offer a powerful technology for in vivo preclinical applications in the NIR window.
ABSTRACT
Pixelation occurs in many imaging systems and limits the spatial resolution of the acquired images. This effect is notably present in quantum imaging experiments with correlated photons in which the number of pixels used to detect coincidences is often limited by the sensor technology or the acquisition speed. Here, we introduce a pixel super-resolution technique based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution (JPD) of spatially-entangled photons. Without shifting optical elements or using prior information, our technique increases the pixel resolution of the imaging system by a factor two and enables retrieval of spatial information lost due to undersampling. We demonstrate its use in various quantum imaging protocols using photon pairs, including quantum illumination, entanglement-enabled quantum holography, and in a full-field version of N00N-state quantum holography. The JPD pixel super-resolution technique can benefit any full-field imaging system limited by the sensor spatial resolution, including all already established and future photon-correlation-based quantum imaging schemes, bringing these techniques closer to real-world applications.
ABSTRACT
The radiation hardness of 180 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and 55 nm bipolar-CMOS-double-diffused MOS single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) is studied using 10 MeV and 100 MeV protons up to a displacement damage dose of 1 PeV/g. It is found that the dark count rate (DCR) levels are dependent on the number and the type of defects created. A new stepwise increase in the DCR is presented. Afterpulsing was found to be a significant contributor to the observed DCR increase. A new model for DCR increase prediction is proposed considering afterpulsing. Most of the samples under test retain reasonable DCR levels after irradiation, showing high tolerance to ionizing and displacement damage caused by protons. Following irradiation, self-healing was observed at room temperature. Furthermore, high-temperature annealing shows potential for accelerating recovery. Overall, the results show the suitability of SPADs as optical detectors for long-term space missions or as detectors for high-energy particles.
ABSTRACT
Single-photon light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a key technology for depth imaging through complex environments. Despite recent advances, an open challenge is the ability to isolate the LiDAR signal from other spurious sources including background light and jamming signals. Here we show that a time-resolved coincidence scheme can address these challenges by exploiting spatio-temporal correlations between entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate that a photon-pair-based LiDAR can distill desired depth information in the presence of both synchronous and asynchronous spurious signals without prior knowledge of the scene and the target object. This result enables the development of robust and secure quantum LiDAR systems and paves the way to time-resolved quantum imaging applications.
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Time-domain near-infrared optical tomography (TD NIROT) techniques based on diffuse light were gaining performance over the last years. They are capable of imaging tissue at several centimeters depth and reveal clinically relevant information, such as tissue oxygen saturation. In this work, we present the very first in vivo results of our SPAD camera-based TD NIROT reflectance system with a temporal resolution of â¼116 ps. It provides 2800 time of flight source-detector pairs in a compact probe of only 6 cm in diameter. Additionally, we describe a 3-step reconstruction procedure that enables accurate recovery of structural information and of the optical properties. We demonstrate the system's performance firstly in reconstructing the 3D-structure of a heterogeneous tissue phantom with tissue-like scattering and absorption properties within a volume of 9 cm diameter and 5 cm thickness. Furthermore, we performed in vivo tomography of an index finger located within a homogeneous scattering medium. We employed a fast sampling rate of 2.5 Hz to detect changes in tissue oxygenation. Tomographic reconstructions were performed in true 3D, and without prior structural information, demonstrating the powerful capabilities of the system. This shows its potential for clinical applications.
ABSTRACT
In a turbid medium such as biological tissue, near-infrared optical tomography (NIROT) can image the oxygenation, a highly relevant clinical parameter. To be an efficient diagnostic tool, NIROT has to have high spatial resolution and depth sensitivity, fast acquisition time, and be easy to use. Since many tissues cannot be penetrated by near-infrared light, such tissue needs to be measured in reflection mode, i.e., where light emission and detection components are placed on the same side. Thanks to the recent advance in single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array technology, we have developed a compact reflection-mode time-domain (TD) NIROT system with a large number of channels, which is expected to substantially increase the resolution and depth sensitivity of the oxygenation images. The aim was to test this experimentally for our SPAD camera-empowered TD NIROT system. Experiments with one and two inclusions, i.e., optically dense spheres of 5mm radius, immersed in turbid liquid were conducted. The inclusions were placed at depths from 10mm to 30mm and moved across the field-of-view. In the two-inclusion experiment, two identical spheres were placed at a lateral distance of 8mm. We also compared short exposure times of 1s, suitable for dynamic processes, with a long exposure of 100s. Additionally, we imaged complex geometries inside the turbid medium, which represented structural elements of a biological object. The quality of the reconstructed images was quantified by the root mean squared error (RMSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and dice similarity. The two small spheres were successfully resolved up to a depth of 30mm. We demonstrated robust image reconstruction even at 1s exposure. Furthermore, the complex geometries were also successfully reconstructed. The results demonstrated a groundbreaking level of enhanced performance of the NIROT system based on a SPAD camera.
ABSTRACT
Understanding exciton-exciton interaction in multiply excited nanocrystals is crucial to their utilization as functional materials. Yet, for lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, which are promising candidates for nanocrystal-based technologies, numerous contradicting values have been reported for the strength and sign of their exciton-exciton interaction. In this work, we unambiguously determine the biexciton binding energy in single cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals at room temperature. This is enabled by the recently introduced single-photon avalanche diode array spectrometer, capable of temporally isolating biexciton-exciton emission cascades while retaining spectral resolution. We demonstrate that CsPbBr3 nanocrystals feature an attractive exciton-exciton interaction, with a mean biexciton binding energy of 10 meV. For CsPbI3 nanocrystals, we observe a mean biexciton binding energy that is close to zero, and individual nanocrystals show either weakly attractive or weakly repulsive exciton-exciton interaction. We further show that, within ensembles of both materials, single-nanocrystal biexciton binding energies are correlated with the degree of charge-carrier confinement.