To control an excess bias to an appropriate value in a light detection device.

A solid-state image sensor includes a photodiode, a resistor, and a control circuit. In this solid-state image sensor, the photodiode photoelectrically converts incident light and outputs a photocurrent. Furthermore, in the solid-state image sensor, the resistor is connected to a cathode of the photodiode. Furthermore, in the solid-state image sensor, the control circuit supplies a lower potential to an anode of the photodiode as a potential of the cathode of when the photocurrent flows through the resistor is higher.

A method of determining the contributions of multiple incident photons to an output of a sensor, including providing a photonic sensor having a sensor input and capable of generating an electrical signal proportional to a number of photons interacting with the photonic sensor input as a function of time, calibrating the photonic sensor such that a response of the photonic sensor to a single photon detected is in a waveform having an amplitude and a time, wherein the product of the amplitude and the time is statistically bounded, determining a probabilistic boundary between one or more of electrical, optical, and thermal sources of noise of the sensor, acquiring a response wave form from the photonic sensor through analog-to-digital conversion with a resolution in amplitude and time corresponding to accuracy required in quantifying the response wave form, storing each acquired response wave form, individually, in a format selected from the group consisting of real-time and buffered packets in digital form, and determining a total count of likely photon arrivals for a specific time resolved acquisition.

A sensing pixel includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) coupled between a first node and a second node, with a clamp diode being coupled between a turn-off voltage node and the second node. A turn-off circuit includes a sense circuit configured to generate a feedback voltage based upon a voltage at the turn-off voltage node, a transistor having a first conduction terminal coupled to the turn-off voltage node, a second conduction terminal coupled to ground, and a control terminal, and an amplifier having a first input coupled to a reference voltage, a second input coupled to receive the feedback voltage, and an output coupled to the control terminal of the transistor. A readout circuit is coupled to the SPAD by a decoupling capacitor.

This disclosure is directed to a high-speed avalanche photodiode device configured to detect single photons. The avalanche photodiode device may include a passive quenching circuitry. The passive quenching circuitry may include a quenching resistor having a resistivity spontaneously adaptive to a bias voltage applied across the quenching resistor. Such adaptive resistivity enables a fast response time for the avalanche photodiode device when used to detect single photos in Geiger mode.

Described is a Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array microchip comprising: a plurality of SPAD sensors; and a triggering circuit configured to detect and read out the triggering order of SPAD sensors over a timing interval wherein the timing interval comprises one or more frames. An event based neuromorphic SPAD array microchip is also described. The chip architecture and triggering methodology takes a local group of SPAD sensors connected in a certain way and by using simple digital circuits emulating how neurons behave, patterns within a local receptive field are identified. Only when these unique patterns or features are identified are “events” triggered for each receptive field in the order they occur, or in an asynchronous manner. Each neuromorphic circuit (or collection of silicon neurons) act over overlapping receptive fields, and are tiled across the entire visual spatial field of the SPAD array to a form a convolution layer.

The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for fabricating and operating superconducting photon detectors. In one aspect, a photon detector includes: (1) a first waveguide configured to guide photons from a photon source; (2) a second waveguide that is distinct and separate from the first waveguide and optically-coupled to the first waveguide; and (3) a superconducting component positioned adjacent to the second waveguide and configured to detect photons within the second waveguide.

A superconducting device includes a substrate, a metal oxide or metal oxynitride seed layer on the substrate, and a metal nitride superconductive layer disposed directly on the seed layer. The seed layer is an oxide or oxynitride of a first metal, and the superconductive layer is a nitride of a different second metal.

An integrated semiconductor optoelectronic component for sensing ambient light levels includes a silicon photomultiplier configured to deliver an output signal indicative of the intensity of the light that irradiates the component. The silicon photomultiplier has an active surface area for light detection. The component also includes an optical filter covering the active surface area of the silicon photomultiplier. The optical filter is adapted to selectively transmit light onto the active surface area as a function of wavelength. The optical filter is a scotopic filter and has a spectral transmission curve that mimics the spectral response of the human eye under low-light conditions. The component further includes readout electronics for processing the output signal of the silicon photomultiplier.

The disclosure provides an optical system, an optical sensing unit and an optical sensing module. The optical system is used for forming a plurality of light spots on a plurality of photosensitive regions separated from each other. The optical system includes: a lens for receiving a first light beam and converging the first light beam; a first light-transmitting layer located under the lens, for refracting the converged first light beam into a plurality of second light beams, the plurality of second light beams being used for forming the plurality of light spots on the photosensitive regions, wherein each light spot in the plurality of light spots covers a part of the plurality of photosensitive regions; and a second light-transmitting layer located under the first light-transmitting layer, wherein the plurality of second light beams are respectively incident on the plurality of photosensitive regions through the second light-transmitting layer.

A method of resolving a number of photons received by a photon detector includes optically coupling a waveguide to a superconducting wire having alternating narrow and wide portions; electrically coupling the superconducting wire to a current source; and electrically coupling an electrical contact in parallel with the superconducting wire. The electrical contact has a resistance less than a resistance of the superconducting wire while at least one narrow portion of the superconducting wire is in a non-superconducting state. The method includes providing to the superconducting wire, from the current source, a current configured to maintain the superconducting wire in a superconducting state in the absence of incident photons; receiving one or more photons via the waveguide; measuring an electrical property of the superconducting wire, proportional to a number of photons incident on the superconducting wire; and determining the number of received photons based on the electrical property.