Temporal and Spatial Focusing in SPAD-Based Solid-State Pulsed Time-of-Flight Laser Range Imaging.

The relation between signal and background noise strengths in single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD)-based pulsed time-of-flight 3-D range imaging is analyzed on the assumption that the SPAD detector is operating in the single photon detection mode. Several practical measurement cases using a 256-pixel solid-state pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) line profiler are presented and analyzed in the light of the resulting analysis. It is shown that in this case it is advantageous to concentrate the available optical average power in short, intensive pulses and to focus the optical energy in spatial terms. In 3-D range imaging, this could be achieved by using block-based illumination instead of the regularly used flood illumination. One modification of this approach could be a source that would illuminate the system FOV only in narrow laser stripes. It is shown that a 256-pixel SPAD-based pulsed TOF line profiler following these design principles can achieve a measurement range of 5-10 m to non-cooperative targets at a rate of ~10 lines/s under bright sunlight conditions using an average optical power of only 260 µW.

Distance-Resolving Raman Radar Based on a Time-Correlated CMOS Single-Photon Avalanche Diode Line Sensor.

Remote Raman spectroscopy is widely used to detect minerals, explosives and air pollution, for example. One of its main problems, however, is background radiation that is caused by ambient light and sample fluorescence. We present here, to the best of our knowledge, the first time a distance-resolving Raman radar device that is based on an adjustable, time-correlated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) single-photon avalanche diode line sensor which can measure the location of the target sample simultaneously with the normal stand-off spectrometer operation and suppress the background radiation dramatically by means of sub-nanosecond time gating. A distance resolution of 3.75 cm could be verified simultaneously during normal spectrometer operation and Raman spectra of titanium dioxide were distinguished by this system at distances of 250 cm and 100 cm with illumination intensities of the background of 250 lux and 7600 lux, respectively. In addition, the major Raman peaks of olive oil, which has a fluorescence-to-Raman signal ratio of 33 and a fluorescence lifetime of 2.5 ns, were distinguished at a distance of 30 cm with a 250 lux background illumination intensity. We believe that this kind of time-correlated CMOS single-photon avalanche diode sensor could pave the way for new compact distance-resolving Raman radars for application where distance information within a range of several metres is needed at the same time as a Raman spectrum.

Timing and probability of crosstalk in a dense CMOS SPAD array in pulsed TOF applications.

As the distance between neighboring devices in large CMOS single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays is reduced for improving the density, increased crosstalk becomes an important issue, limiting the maximum practical fill factor of the array. In this study, the temporal correlation of crosstalk events, as well as the crosstalk probability, and their dependence on parameters, such as the illumination wavelength and intensity, and the distance between SPADs, are investigated via measurement of a ~45%-fill factor CMOS SPAD array fabricated using 0.35-µm high-voltage CMOS technology. The SPADs have 24 µm × 24 µm square-shaped active areas, and all devices share a common deep-N-well cathode. On-chip time-to-digital converters with 65-ps resolution are used to measure the timing of crosstalk events in "coincidence measurements." For the crosstalk measurements, the internal noise in one SPAD is used to produce crosstalk events in the neighboring devices. The measurement results indicate both optical and electrical crosstalk with the crosstalk events, having a specific temporal distribution. The crosstalk probability in the first two adjacent pixels is found to be 0.3% and 0.01%, with a distribution having full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) of 700 and 400 ps, respectively. In pulsed time-of-flight measurements, when one SPAD is triggered with external short-pulsed (FWHM of approximately 200 ps) illumination, extra correlated noise in the adjacent SPADs added to the crosstalk noise, increasing the correlated noise considerably. This additional noise was a secondary effect of the absorbed laser photons deep in the substrate.

Miniaturized pulsed laser source for time-domain diffuse optics routes to wearable devices.

We validate a miniaturized pulsed laser source for use in time-domain (TD) diffuse optics, following rigorous and shared protocols for performance assessment of this class of devices. This compact source (12×6 mm2) has been previously developed for range finding applications and is able to provide short, high energy (∼100 ps, ∼0.5 nJ) optical pulses at up to 1 MHz repetition rate. Here, we start with a basic level laser characterization with an analysis of suitability of this laser for the diffuse optics application. Then, we present a TD optical system using this source and its performances in both recovering optical properties of tissue-mimicking homogeneous phantoms and in detecting localized absorption perturbations. Finally, as a proof of concept of in vivo application, we demonstrate that the system is able to detect hemodynamic changes occurring in the arm of healthy volunteers during a venous occlusion. Squeezing the laser source in a small footprint removes a key technological bottleneck that has hampered so far the realization of a miniaturized TD diffuse optics system, able to compete with already assessed continuous-wave devices in terms of size and cost, but with wider performance potentialities, as demonstrated by research over the last two decades.

Comparison of the leading-edge timing walk in pulsed TOF laser range finding with avalanche bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) switch based laser diode drivers.

Timing walk error in pulsed time-of-flight based laser range finding was studied using two different types of laser diode drivers. The study compares avalanche bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor switch based laser pulse drivers, both producing 1.35 ns current pulse length (full width at half maximum), and investigates how the slowly rising part of the current pulse of the avalanche BJT based driver affects the leading edge timing walk. The walk error was measured to be very similar with both drivers within an input signal dynamic range of 1:10 000 (receiver bandwidth of 700 MHz) but increased rapidly with the avalanche BJT based driver at higher values of dynamic range. The slowly rising part does not exist in the current pulse produced by the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) based laser driver, and thus the MOS based driver can be utilized in a wider dynamic range.

Solid-state 3D imaging using a 1nJ/100ps laser diode transmitter and a single photon receiver matrix.

A 3D imaging concept based on pulsed time-of-flight focal plane imaging is presented which can be tailored flexibly in terms of performance parameters such as range, image update rate, field-of-view, 2D resolution, depth accuracy, etc. according to the needs of different applications. The transmitter is based on a laser diode operating in enhanced gain-switching mode with a simple MOS/CMOS-switch current driver and capable of producing short (~100ps FWHM) high energy (up to nJ) pulses at a high pulsing rate. The receiver consists of 2D SPAD and TDC arrays placed on the same die, but in separate arrays. Paraxial optics can be used to illuminate the target field-of-view with the receiver placed at the focal plane of the receiver lens. To validate the concept, a prototype system is presented with a bulk laser diode/MOS driver operating at a wavelength of 870nm with a pulsing rate of 100kHz as the transmitter and a single-chip 9x9 SPAD array with 10-channel TDC as the receiver. The possibility of using this method as a solid-state solution to the task of 3D imaging is discussed in the light of the results derived from this prototype.

Fluorescence-suppressed time-resolved Raman spectroscopy of pharmaceuticals using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector.

In this work, we utilize a short-wavelength, 532-nm picosecond pulsed laser coupled with a time-gated complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector to acquire Raman spectra of several drugs of interest. With this approach, we are able to reveal previously unseen Raman features and suppress the fluorescence background of these drugs. Compared to traditional Raman setups, the present time-resolved technique has two major improvements. First, it is possible to overcome the strong fluorescence background that usually interferes with the much weaker Raman spectra. Second, using the high photon energy excitation light source, we are able to generate a stronger Raman signal compared to traditional instruments. In addition, observations in the time domain can be performed, thus enabling new capabilities in the field of Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy. With this system, we demonstrate for the first time the possibility of recording fluorescence-suppressed Raman spectra of solid, amorphous and crystalline, and non-photoluminescent and photoluminescent drugs such as caffeine, ranitidine hydrochloride, and indomethacin (amorphous and crystalline forms). The raw data acquired by utilizing only the picosecond pulsed laser and a CMOS SPAD detector could be used for identifying the compounds directly without any data processing. Moreover, to validate the accuracy of this time-resolved technique, we present density functional theory (DFT) calculations for a widely used gastric acid inhibitor, ranitidine hydrochloride. The obtained time-resolved Raman peaks were identified based on the calculations and existing literature. Raman spectra using non-time-resolved setups with continuous-wave 785- and 532-nm excitation lasers were used as reference data. Overall, this demonstration of time-resolved Raman and fluorescence measurements with a CMOS SPAD detector shows promise in diverse areas, including fundamental chemical research, the pharmaceutical setting, process analytical technology (PAT), and the life sciences.

Performance improvement by a saturable absorber in gain-switched asymmetric-waveguide laser diodes.

A simplest saturable absorber, in the form of an unpumped section, is introduced into a Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser with a strongly asymmetric broadened waveguide structure incorporating a relatively thick (80 nm) active layer. This allows for suppression of trailing oscillations and a decrease in the optical pulse width compared to the uniformly biased structure. Single optical pulses of ~80 ps full width at half maximum (FWHM) and ~35 W peak power (~3 nJ pulse energy, E(opt)), practically without trailing edge oscillations, were experimentally achieved under room temperature conditions by absorber-assisted gain-switching, using pumping current pulses of ~1.3 ns FWHM and ~17 A amplitude. The laser emission has a narrow (13 degrees FWHM in the transverse direction) far field.

Fluorescence suppression in Raman spectroscopy using a time-gated CMOS SPAD.

A Raman spectrometer technique is described that aims at suppressing the fluorescence background typical of Raman spectra. The sample is excited with a high power (65W), short (300ps) laser pulse and the time position of each of the Raman scattered photons with respect to the excitation is measured with a CMOS SPAD detector and an accurate time-to-digital converter at each spectral point. It is shown by means of measurements performed on an olive oil sample that the fluorescence background can be greatly suppressed if the sample response is recorded only for photons coinciding with the laser pulse. A further correction in the residual fluorescence baseline can be achieved using the measured fluorescence tails at each of the spectral points.

A 1 A laser driver in 0.35 microm complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for a pulsed time-of-flight laser rangefinder.

An integrated complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) current pulse generator is presented which achieves an ampere-scale peak current pulse with a rise time and pulse width of less than 1 and 2.5 ns (pulse width at half maximum), respectively. The generator is implemented in a 0.35 microm CMOS process and consists of four parallel n-type metal oxide semiconductor transistors driven by a scaled buffer chain to achieve fast switching.

Terahertz emission from collapsing field domains during switching of a gallium arsenide bipolar transistor.

Broadband pulsed THz emission with peak power in the sub-mW range has been observed experimentally during avalanche switching in a gallium arsenide bipolar junction transistor at room temperature, while significantly higher total generated power is predicted in simulations. The emission is attributed to very fast oscillations in the conductivity current across the switching channels, which appear as a result of temporal evolution of the field domains generated in highly dense electron-hole plasma. This plasma is formed in turn by powerful impact ionization in multiple field domains of ultrahigh amplitude.

Pulsed time-of-flight radar for fiber-optic strain sensing.

This article describes a fiber-optic interrogation device based on the pulsed time-of-flight technique. The apparatus is capable of measuring time delays between wideband reflectors, such as connectors, along a fiber path with a precision of about 280 fs (rms value) and a spatial resolution of about 3 ns (0.30 m) in a measurement time of 25 ms. Potential application areas include measuring integral strain and its derivatives such as cracks, deflections, and displacements, particularly in large civil engineering and composite structures. The operation and basic blocks of the measurement system are presented in detail together with measurement results obtained in laboratory and field conditions. It is shown that by using a fiber loop sensor with a reference fiber, it is possible to achieve a strain precision below 1 microstrain and a measurement frequency of 4 Hz. System performance proved adequate for the study of both static and dynamic phenomena in a bridge deck.