SPADNet Project Launched

Photonics.com: EC started funding of SPADNet project aiming to develop the CMOS-based large area networked image sensors for photon-starved biomedical applications. SPADnet's prime objective is to develop a scalable photonic component for large format, rare-event imaging. The core of the component will be a SPAD array implemented in CMOS. Large formats will be achieved by tessellating several tens of dies in abutment style using innovative packaging techniques based on TSVs. The ability to stamp the time and position of each photon impingement in a burst event offers a second key advance. The concept of spatial oversampling is introduced, where a single measurement is partitioned into a myriad of sub-measurements, occurring simultaneously. The difference is that in space oversampling many SPADs will detect the same event independently, thus reducing the dead time on average by the number of detectors involved.

SPADNet project members are: EPFL (Switzerland, coordinator), Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento (Italy), LETI (France), Mediso (Hungary), STMicro (Scotland & France), TU Delft (Netherlands), University of Edinburgh (Scotland), University of Budapest (Hungary). SPADnet was granted €3.7 million of funding over a 42 month period.