Light-In-Flight Imaging by a Silicon Image Sensor: Toward the Theoretical Highest Frame Rate

Area of Science:

• High-speed imaging and sensor technology
• Photonics and optical instrumentation

Background:

• Capturing dynamic light phenomena requires advanced imaging capabilities.
• Existing high-speed imaging often relies on complex gating devices or post-processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the development of a novel backside-illuminated multi-collection-gate image sensor.
• To demonstrate its capability for high-speed light capture without external gating.
• To explore its potential for achieving theoretical temporal resolution limits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a newly developed backside-illuminated multi-collection-gate image sensor.
• Captured light in flight at a 10 ns frame interval in a single shot.
• Conducted theoretical analysis to determine conditions for minimizing temporal resolution.

Main Results:

• Successfully captured light in flight at 10 ns intervals without high-speed gating.
• Derived a theoretical temporal resolution limit of 11.1 ps.
• Simulations predict a future sensor achieving a 50 ps frame interval using existing technology.

Conclusions:

• The developed image sensor represents a significant advancement in high-speed imaging.
• Achieving near-theoretical temporal resolution will enable new applications in time-of-flight and lifetime measurements.
• The sensor's speed, 200x faster than previous versions, promises innovation in fields like TOF-MS, FLIM, and LIDAR.