Gated SPAD Arrays for Single-Photon Time-Resolved Imaging and Spectroscopy

In this paper, we present the architecture and the experimental characterization of an improved version of a previously developed 32 x 32 Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) and Time to Digital Converters (TDCs) array, and two new arrays (with 8 x 8 and 128 x 1 pixels) with the additional capability of actively gating the detectors with sub-nanosecond rise time. The arrays include high performance SPADs (0.04 cps/mu m(2), 50% peak PDE) and provide down to 410 ps Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM) single shot precision and excellent linearity. We developed a camera to exploit these imagers in time-resolved, single-photon applications.