Pileup effect corrections for at most two triggers synchronous single-photon LiDAR

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• LiDAR Technology
• Digital Signal Processing

Background:

• Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors are crucial for Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
• High incident photon flux leads to pileup errors, limiting SPAD performance in LiDAR systems.
• Large-format SPAD arrays necessitate optimized working modes to balance efficiency and resource utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel pileup correction formula for SPAD detectors.
• To address the limitations of SPAD dead time in high-flux LiDAR applications.
• To improve the accuracy of photon detection histograms in SPAD-based LiDAR.

Main Methods:

• Established a forward model for the photon detection histogram of a SPAD with a time-to-digital converter (TDC).
• The TDC was configured to record a maximum of two photon events per laser pulse cycle.
• Proposed a new formula to correct for pileup errors in SPAD detectors.

Main Results:

• A new pileup correction formula was derived based on the forward model.
• The proposed formula effectively corrects for errors introduced by high photon flux.
• Monte Carlo simulations validated the accuracy and effectiveness of the developed correction method.

Conclusions:

• The novel pileup correction formula enhances the accuracy of SPAD-based LiDAR systems operating under high photon flux.
• This method provides a viable solution for mitigating dead time limitations in advanced SPAD detectors.
• The findings contribute to the development of more reliable and efficient LiDAR technologies.