A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging

Wang, Zhe; Yang, Xu; Tian, Na; Liu, Min; Cai, Ziteng; Feng, Peng; Dou, Runjiang; Yu, Shuangming; Wu, Nanjian; Liu, Jian; Liu, Liyuan

doi:10.3390/s24134358

Open AccessArticle

A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging

by

Zhe Wang

^1,2,

Xu Yang

^1,2

,

Na Tian

^1,2,

Min Liu

^1,2

,

Ziteng Cai

^1,2

,

Peng Feng

^1,2,

Runjiang Dou

^1,2

,

Shuangming Yu

^1,2,

Nanjian Wu

^1,2,

Jian Liu

^1,2,*

and

Liyuan Liu

^1,3,*

¹

State Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China

²

College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronics Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

³

School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sensors 2024, 24(13), 4358; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24134358

Submission received: 31 May 2024 / Revised: 1 July 2024 / Accepted: 2 July 2024 / Published: 5 July 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in CMOS Image Sensor)

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Abstract

Low-light imaging capabilities are in urgent demand in many fields, such as security surveillance, night-time autonomous driving, wilderness rescue, and environmental monitoring. The excellent performance of SPAD devices gives them significant potential for applications in low-light imaging. This article presents a 64 (rows) × 128 (columns) SPAD image sensor designed for low-light imaging. The chip utilizes a three-dimensional stacking architecture and microlens technology, combined with compact gated pixel circuits designed with thick-gate MOS transistors, which further enhance the SPAD’s photosensitivity. The configurable digital control circuit allows for the adjustment of exposure time, enabling the sensor to adapt to different lighting conditions. The chip exhibits very low dark noise levels, with an average DCR of 41.5 cps at 2.4 V excess bias voltage. Additionally, it employs a denoising algorithm specifically developed for the SPAD image sensor, achieving two-dimensional grayscale imaging under 6 × 10⁻⁴ lux illumination conditions, demonstrating excellent low-light imaging capabilities. The chip designed in this paper fully leverages the performance advantages of SPAD image sensors and holds promise for applications in various fields requiring low-light imaging capabilities.

Keywords: SPAD; 3D stacking; single photon imaging; low-light imaging

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, Z.; Yang, X.; Tian, N.; Liu, M.; Cai, Z.; Feng, P.; Dou, R.; Yu, S.; Wu, N.; Liu, J.; et al. A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging. Sensors 2024, 24, 4358. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24134358

AMA Style

Wang Z, Yang X, Tian N, Liu M, Cai Z, Feng P, Dou R, Yu S, Wu N, Liu J, et al. A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging. Sensors. 2024; 24(13):4358. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24134358

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Zhe, Xu Yang, Na Tian, Min Liu, Ziteng Cai, Peng Feng, Runjiang Dou, Shuangming Yu, Nanjian Wu, Jian Liu, and et al. 2024. "A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging" Sensors 24, no. 13: 4358. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24134358

APA Style

Wang, Z., Yang, X., Tian, N., Liu, M., Cai, Z., Feng, P., Dou, R., Yu, S., Wu, N., Liu, J., & Liu, L. (2024). A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging. Sensors, 24(13), 4358. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24134358

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A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging

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