Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Stmicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited

The University of Edinburgh

Cristiano Niclass

Edoardo Charbon

Julian Charles Nolan

Robert K Henderson

Justin Richardson

Lindsay Grant

Pierre-Andre Besse

Marek Gersbach

Alexis Rochas

The present invention concerns a time-of-flight based imaging system having a photon emitter used as an illumination source, a photon sensor, and an electronic system for delivering a signal depending on the reception time of photons by said photon detector. The electronic display is used as the photonic source.

Time-of-flight based imaging system using a display as illumination source

Arrangement () for measuring the distance to an object, comprising: The circuit may comprise a multiplexer at the pixel level arranged so as to accumulate the signal output by the avalanche photodiode during different sub-periods in different storage devices.

Method and arrangement for measuring the distance to an object

Integrated circuit () comprising: The read-out circuit may comprise a transformer for decoupling the SPAD from other parts of said read-out circuit.

Integrated circuit comprising an array of single photon avalanche diodes

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a photon avalanche detector in the semiconductor substrate. The photon avalanche detector includes an anode of a first conductivity type and a cathode of a second conductivity type. A guard ring is in the semiconductor substrate and at least partially surrounds the photon avalanche detector. A passivation layer of the first conductivity type is in contact with the guard ring to reduce an electric field at an edge of the photon avalanche detector.

Single photon detector and associated methods for making the same

A method for controlling the spectral response of light sensitive semiconductor elements in an array () using an electric control signal (V) applied to said semiconductor elements. The light sensitive semiconductor elements could be a single photon avalanche diode () operating in Geiger mode. An image sensor has at least one light sensitive semiconductor elements and a circuit for applying a control voltage (V) to said semiconductor element so as to change its spectral response. Without being limiting, the sensor could be part of a digital camera, video camera, 3D image sensors, scanner, video telephone, autofocus system, medical image acquisition system, etc.

Controlling spectral response of photodetector for an image sensor

An integrated circuit () has an array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADS), a plurality of read-out circuits, each SPADS being coupled to one read-out circuit, wherein at least some of the read-out circuits comprise time-to-digital converters (TDC) and/or a digital asynchronous counter. The plurality of SPADS are coupled to one single read-out circuit. The read-out circuit may have a transformer for decoupling the SPAD from other parts of the read-out circuit.

Transducer () for reading information stored 1n an optical record carrier (), comprising at least one solid-state single photon detector, for example a single photon avalanche diode () for acquisition of a 2D or 3D image of at least a portion of the optical record carrier.

Transducer for reading information stored on an optical record carrier, single photon detector based storage system and method for reading data from an optical record carrier

An integrated imager circuit having a monolithic array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) for capturing an image of a scene when said scene is hit by an optical pulse. The array has a plurality of SPADs connected to 2D readout circuits which determines the intensity of the light reflected by the scene by counting the number of photons received by the SPADs during a period of time. A plurality of SPADs connected to 3D readout circuits determines the distance to the scene by determining the elapsed time between the emission of each pulse and reception of the corresponding reflected photons.

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Clarens, Switzerland

Cristiano Niclass