Data Acquisition System Design for a 160x128 Single-photon Image Sensor with On-pixel 55 ps Time-to-digital Converter

Time-resolved image sensors enabling picosecond resolutions over large formats are needed in many advanced imaging fields, from fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to positron emission tomography (PET). Integrated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) technology embodies the new frontiers of time-resolved imaging, namely better instrument response function, increased throughput and lower costs. SPADs have recently developed onto large arrays with increasing on-chip functionality. With larger array sizes however, the data generation rate has become a throughput bottleneck and thus necessitating an efficient data acquisition system. In this thesis a data acquisition system was developed, for one of the largest single-photon imager ever devised with 160x128 pixels capable of detecting the time-of-arrival of single photons with picosecond resolution. To handle the gigabytes of data generated every second, techniques such as a column based event-driven system for photon-starved applications was implemented. The thesis presents a test strategy and characterization methodology. Using the developed data acquisition system, the imager was tested and characterized successfully. To conclude, an example of a biological sample imaged with FLIM is shown as a demonstration of the potentialities of our system.MSc MicroelectronicsMicroelectronics & Computer EngineeringElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc