Near-Photon-Counting, High Dynamic Range, Passive Vision Detector Arrays

In this SBIR Phase 1 project, the proposer will perform the electrical simulation of a new image sensor that will enable single photon detection across the visible and into the SWIR range (beyond 1.6m), with resolutions above 1 MegaPixel. The ultra-low power, compact and lightweight solution made possible by this new technology, is suitable for a wide range of applications. Phase 1 work will comprise the simulation of existing blocks of circuitry, including row-select decoders, column parallel circuitry, ADCs, digital counters and I/O devices. The new APD comprises a photo-absorption region consisting of an epitaxially-grown Group IV superlattice with direct band-gap, and wavelength cutoff beyond 1.6m. The new APD also has internal gain provided by a process that can achieve amplification larger than 10,000, while operating at around 1V. This new APD technology is expected to enable single-photon detection without Geiger mode operation, and with compact analog in-pixel circuitry. The APD modeling work will produce compact models for electrical simulation of the pixels comprising APDs and CMOS circuitry, and the interaction of the pixels with the peripheral circuitry blocks, in order to model the electrical behavior of the complete image sensor.