用于LiDAR的16×1列阵CMOS单光子TOF图像传感器（英文）
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摘要
设计了一款用于激光雷达的CMOS单光子飞行时间图像传感器.该传感器集成了16个结构优化的单光子雪崩二极管像素和一个双计数器结构的13-bit时间数字转换器电路.每个像素单元包括一个新型的主动淬灭-恢复电路.该设计通过优化器件的保护环来降低器件的暗噪声;带有反馈回路的主动淬灭-恢复电路用于降低死时间;时间数字转换器采用双计数器结构来避免计数器的亚稳态导致的计数错误.基于CMOS 180nm标准工艺制作了该传感器.测试结果表明:在1V的过偏压下,单光子雪崩二极管列阵的中值暗计数率为8kHz;在550nm波长光照下探测效率最高,为18%;设计的主动淬灭-恢复电路将死时间有效降低至8ns;时间数字转换器的分辨率为416ps,帮助整个系统实现厘米级距离分辨率.该传感器在0.5m距离下实现了空间分辨率为320×160的深度图像,其测距的最大非线性误差为1.9%,准确度为3.8%.
A CMOS single photon avalanche diode based time-of-flight sensor is presented for light detection and ranging applications.The sensor integrates 16 structure-optimized single photon avalanche diode pixels and a dual-counter-based 13-bit time-to-digital converter.Each pixel unit has a novel activequench and recharge circuit.The dark noise of single photon avalanche diode is reduced by optimizing the guard ring of the device.The active quench and recharge circuit with a feedback loop is proposed to reduce the dead time.A dual-counter-based time-to-digital converter is designed to prevent counting errors caused by the metastability of the counter in the time-to-digital converter.The sensor is fabricated in 180 nm CMOS standard technology.The measurement results show the median dark count rate of the single photon avalanche diode is 8 kHz at 1 Vexcess voltage,the highest photon detection efficiency is 18% at 550 nm light wavelength.The novel active quench circuit effectively reduces the dead time down to8 ns.The time-to-digital converter with 416 ps resolution makes the system achieve the centimeteraccuracy detection.A 320×160 depth image is captured at a distance of 0.5 m.The maximum depth measurement nonlinear error is 1.9% and the worst-case precision is 3.8%.
A CMOS single photon avalanche diode based time-of-flight sensor is presented for light detection and ranging applications.The sensor integrates 16 structure-optimized single photon avalanche diode pixels and a dual-counter-based 13-bit time-to-digital converter.Each pixel unit has a novel activequench and recharge circuit.The dark noise of single photon avalanche diode is reduced by optimizing the guard ring of the device.The active quench and recharge circuit with a feedback loop is proposed to reduce the dead time.A dual-counter-based time-to-digital converter is designed to prevent counting errors caused by the metastability of the counter in the time-to-digital converter.The sensor is fabricated in 180 nm CMOS standard technology.The measurement results show the median dark count rate of the single photon avalanche diode is 8 kHz at 1 Vexcess voltage,the highest photon detection efficiency is 18% at 550 nm light wavelength.The novel active quench circuit effectively reduces the dead time down to8 ns.The time-to-digital converter with 416 ps resolution makes the system achieve the centimeteraccuracy detection.A 320×160 depth image is captured at a distance of 0.5 m.The maximum depth measurement nonlinear error is 1.9% and the worst-case precision is 3.8%.
引文
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[10] ZHANG C,LINDNER S,ANTOLOVIC I M,et al.A 30-frames/s,252×144SPAD flash LiDAR with 1728dualclock 48.8-ps TDCs,and pixel-wise integrated histogramming[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,2018,(99):1-15.
[11] BULLER G,WALLACE A.Ranging and three-dimensional imaging using time-correlated single-photon counting and point-by-point acquisition[J].IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics,2007,13(4):1006-1015.
[12] KOSTAMOVAARA J,HUIKARI J,HALLMAN L,et al.On laser ranging based on high-speed/energy laser diode pulses and single-photon detection techniques[J].IEEE Photonics Journal,2015,7(2):1-15.
[13] VILLA F,LUSSANA R,BRONZI D,et al.CMOS imager with 1024SPADs and TDCs for single-photon timing and 3-D time-of-flight[J].IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics,2014,20(6):364-373.
[14] NICLASS C,SOGA M,MATSUBARA H,et al.A 0.18μm CMOS SoC for a 100-m-range 10-frame/s 200×96-pixel time-of-flight depth sensor[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits,2014,49(1):315-330.
[15] PERENZONI M,PERENZONI D,STOPPA D.A 64×64-pixels digital silicon photomultiplier direct TOF sensor with100-M photons/s/pixel background rejection and imaging/altimeter mode with 0.14%precision up to 6 km for spacecraft navigation and landing[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,2017,52(1):151-160.
[2] COVA S,LONGONI A,ANDREONI A.Towards picosecond resolution with single photon avalanche diodes[J].Review of Scientific Instruments,1981,52(3):408-412.
[3] HORAUD R,HANSARD M,EVANGELIDIS G,et al.An overview of depth cameras and range scanners based on time-of-flight technologies[J].Machine Vision and Applications,2016,27(7):1005-1020.
[4] NICLASS C,FAVI C,KLUTER T,et al.A 128×128single-photon image sensor with column-level 10-bit time-todigital converter array[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,2008,43(12):2977-2989.
[5] GUERRIERI F,TISA S,TOSI A,et al.Two-dimensional SPAD imaging camera for photon counting[J].IEEE Photonics Journal,2010,2(5):759-774.
[6] TISA S,GUERRIERI F,ZAPPAF.Variable-load quenching circuit for single-photon avalanche diodes[J].Optics Express,2008,16(3):2232-2244.
[7] COVA S,GHIONI M,LACAITA A,et al.Avalanche photodiodes and quenching circuits for single-photon detection[J].Applied Optics,1996,35(12):1956-1976.
[8] LIU M,HU C,CAMPBELL J C,et al.Reduce afterpulsing of single photon avalanche diodes using passive quenching with active reset[J].IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics,2008,44(5):430-434.
[9] MARKOVIC B,TISA S,VILLA F A,et al.A high-linearity,17ps precision time-to-digital converter based on a singlestage vernier delay loop fine interpolation[J].IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I:Regular Papers,2013,60(3):557-569.
[10] ZHANG C,LINDNER S,ANTOLOVIC I M,et al.A 30-frames/s,252×144SPAD flash LiDAR with 1728dualclock 48.8-ps TDCs,and pixel-wise integrated histogramming[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,2018,(99):1-15.
[11] BULLER G,WALLACE A.Ranging and three-dimensional imaging using time-correlated single-photon counting and point-by-point acquisition[J].IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics,2007,13(4):1006-1015.
[12] KOSTAMOVAARA J,HUIKARI J,HALLMAN L,et al.On laser ranging based on high-speed/energy laser diode pulses and single-photon detection techniques[J].IEEE Photonics Journal,2015,7(2):1-15.
[13] VILLA F,LUSSANA R,BRONZI D,et al.CMOS imager with 1024SPADs and TDCs for single-photon timing and 3-D time-of-flight[J].IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics,2014,20(6):364-373.
[14] NICLASS C,SOGA M,MATSUBARA H,et al.A 0.18μm CMOS SoC for a 100-m-range 10-frame/s 200×96-pixel time-of-flight depth sensor[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits,2014,49(1):315-330.
[15] PERENZONI M,PERENZONI D,STOPPA D.A 64×64-pixels digital silicon photomultiplier direct TOF sensor with100-M photons/s/pixel background rejection and imaging/altimeter mode with 0.14%precision up to 6 km for spacecraft navigation and landing[J].IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,2017,52(1):151-160.