Intensified imaging photon-counting technology for enhanced flash lidar performance

Christian J. Grund; Alex Harwit

doi:10.1117/12.850548

29 April 2010 Intensified imaging photon-counting technology for enhanced flash lidar performance

Christian J. Grund, Alex Harwit

Proceedings Volume 7684, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XV; 76840D (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.850548
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2010, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Intensified Imaging Photon Counting (I²PC) is a new approach to flash lidar that employs direct coupling of a photocathode and microchannel plate front end to a high-speed, pipelined, all-digital ASIC to achieve photon-counting temporal waveform capture in each pixel on each laser return pulse. A unique characteristic of the Ball architecture is the absence of analog components that limit temporal resolution and dynamic range. Implemented in 65nm CMOS technology, the current generation I²PC is expected to record up to 300 photon arrivals in each pixel with 100 ps resolution on each pulse return, and with up to 6000 range bins in each 55 μm pixel. Additional advantages of this architecture are operation at any wavelength where photocathodes are available, intrinsically low f/# and high fill factor capability, array sizes to >3000×3000 pixels with COTS components, extremely high dynamic range, and extremely low false alarm rates. In addition to long-range and low-power hard target imaging, I²PC extends the scannerless capabilities of flash lidar to distributed target applications such as range-resolved waveform captures for atmospheric aerosol and chemistry sensing, vegetation canopies, and camouflage penetration. As a passive imager, I2PC also brings unprecedented speed and dynamic range to low-light and UV imaging applications.

Citation Download Citation

Christian J. Grund and Alex Harwit "Intensified imaging photon-counting technology for enhanced flash lidar performance", Proc. SPIE 7684, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XV, 76840D (29 April 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.850548

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