Photon counting device and photon counting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12078767-B2
Application number	US-202318206806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2023
Priority date	Nov 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A photon counting device includes a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element configured to convert input light to charge, and an amplifier configured to amplify the charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element and convert the charge to a voltage, an A/D converter configured to convert the voltage output from the amplifier of each of the plurality of pixels to a digital value and output the digital value, a correction unit configured to correct the digital value output from the A/D converter so that an influence of a variation in a gain and an offset value among the plurality of pixels is curbed, a calculation unit configured to output a summed value obtained by summing the corrected digital values corresponding to at least two pixels, and a conversion unit configured to convert the summed value output from the calculation unit to a number of photons.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for photon counting comprising:
a CMOS image sensor including a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes a photoelectric conversion element configured to convert input light to charge, and an amplifier configured to amplify the charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element and convert the charge to a voltage;
a plurality of A/D converters, each A/D converter being configured to convert the voltage output from a corresponding one of the amplifiers to a digital value; and
a computer configured to correct the digital value output from the A/D converter so that an influence of a variation in a gain and an offset value among the plurality of pixels is curbed, output a summed value obtained by summing the corrected digital values in at least two pixels, and convert the summed value to a number of photons by referring to reference data,
wherein a readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.4 e-rms, and wherein the reference data is threshold value data for distinguishing between adjacent numbers of photons.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to convert the digital value of only the pixels of which the readout noise is equal to or less than 0.4 e-rms.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.2 e-rms.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.15 e-rms.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to create a two-dimensional image indicating the number of photons in each pixel based on the number of photons.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to create a histogram that is a plot of the number of pixels with respect to the number of photons.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is configured to divide an average number of electrons for each pixel by a quantum efficiency to obtain an average number of photons.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the reference data includes a plurality of pieces of the threshold value data created based on a gain and an offset value of each of the plurality of pixels.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the reference data is held as a table.

10. A method for photon counting the method comprising:
converting light input to respective photoelectric conversion elements of a plurality of pixels of a CMOS image sensor to charge;
amplifying, by an amplifier constituting each of the plurality of pixels, the converted charge and converting the charge to a voltage;
converting, by an A/D converter corresponding to one of the amplifiers constituting each of the plurality of pixels, the voltage output from the amplifier to a digital value and outputting the digital value;
correcting the digital value output from the A/D converter so that an influence of a variation in a gain and an offset value among the plurality of pixels is curbed;
outputting a summed value obtained by summing the corrected digital values in at least two pixels, and
converting the summed value to a number of photons by referring to reference data, and
wherein a readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.4 e-rms, and
wherein the reference data is threshold value data for distinguishing between adjacent numbers of photons.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the converting converts the digital value of only the pixels of which the readout noise is equal to or less than 0.4 e-rms.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.2 e-rms.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the readout noise of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0.15 e-rms.

14. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
creating a two-dimensional image indicating the number of photons in each pixel based on the number of photons.

15. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
creating a histogram that is a plot of the number of pixels with respect to the number of photons.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the computer is configured to divide an average number of electrons for each pixel by a quantum efficiency to obtain an average number of photons.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the reference data includes a plurality of pieces of the threshold value data created based on a gain and an offset value of each of the plurality of pixels.

18. The method according to claim 10 , the reference data is held as a table.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk

Inventors

• Maruno Tadashi
• Toda Eiji
• NAKAJIMA Mao
• Takahashi Teruo
• Higuchi Takafumi

Classifications

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N25/773

  comprising photon counting circuits, e.g. single photon detection [SPD] or single photon avalanche diodes [SPAD] · CPC title

• H10F39/803

  Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements · CPC title

• H04N25/778

  comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself · CPC title

• H04N25/767

  Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers · CPC title