2D TDC arrangement

Abstract

A sensor arrangement for high-resolution imaging using a common connection between a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and a time-to-digital converter (TDC), comprising: a) a two-dimensional array of SPADs arranged in rows and columns, each SPAD being connected to a quench circuit (QU) that generates a digital pulse for each SPAD event; b) a row connection and a column connection, each QU of the SPAD array being connected to the row and column connections; c) a plurality of TDC channels, each assigned to either a specific row or a specific column of the SPAD array, the TDC channels being driven by a common clock generator and having N stages, and the TDC channels being configured to measure the time interval between the occurrence of a SPAD event and the clock signal;d) Synchronization means to ensure synchronous operation of the TDC channels assigned to the rows and columns of the SPAD array; e) A measuring device for acquiring the measurement results from the TDC channels assigned to the rows and columns of the SPAD array; f) Comparison means for comparing the measurement results from the row and column TDC channels to identify the SPAD source associated with a particular SPAD event; and g) Sorting means for matching the identified SPAD event to the corresponding histogram of the source SPAD.