Single-photon imaging camera development for night vision

Stefan Vasile; Jing Cheng; Jerold Lipson; Jifeng Liu; Jurgen Michel

doi:10.1117/12.852646

3 May 2010 Single-photon imaging camera development for night vision

Stefan Vasile, Jing Cheng, Jerold Lipson, Jifeng Liu, Jurgen Michel

Proceedings Volume 7660, Infrared Technology and Applications XXXVI; 76603E (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.852646
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2010, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Single-photon imaging in infrared will add a new valuable tool to night imaging cameras. Despite years of development, high-sensitivity SWIR cameras are still expensive and not ready for large-volume production. Germanium (Ge) is a promising semiconductor to convert SWIR radiation and it has seen extensive development in conjunction with highspeed optical communications. We are demonstrating a new low-light level infrared array technology based on the single-photon sensitive Geiger avalanche PhotoDiode (Si-GPD) array technology developed at aPeak and low-dislocation Germanium processing developed at MIT. The core of the imaging camera is a Ge:Si photon-counting GPD pixel with CMOS readout. The primary technology objective is to demonstrate through prototyping and semiconductor process development the technical feasibility of single-photon detection cameras sensitive in the SWIR and set the performance specifications. We report on prototype Ge:Si structures compatible with the GPD operation and technology. We demonstrate >80% quantum efficiency at 1310nm and 45%-60% quantum efficiency at 1550nm. Dark current measurements indicate that single-photon sensitivity (2.6x10-18W/pixel) is achievable by cooling the detector at cryogenic temperatures down to 53K. A digital developed to provide adjustable dynamic range and frame rate is reported. Because the GPD detectors have intrinsic excellent gating and ranging capability, the pixel architecture is developed to enable the dual mode operation - passive illumination two-dimensional imaging (night vision) and active illumination three-dimensional imaging.

Citation Download Citation

Stefan Vasile, Jing Cheng, Jerold Lipson, Jifeng Liu, and Jurgen Michel "Single-photon imaging camera development for night vision", Proc. SPIE 7660, Infrared Technology and Applications XXXVI, 76603E (3 May 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.852646

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
9 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Germanium

Cameras

Silicon

Quantum efficiency

Diodes

Oxides

Short wave infrared radiation

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years