TY - JOUR
T1 - A high-throughput time-resolved mini-silicon photomultiplier with embedded fluorescence lifetime estimation in 0.13 μm CMOS
AU - Tyndall, David
AU - Rae, Bruce R.
AU - Li, David Day Uei
AU - Arlt, Jochen
AU - Johnston, Abigail
AU - Richardson, Justin A.
AU - Henderson, Robert K.
PY - 2012/12/26
Y1 - 2012/12/26
N2 - We describe a miniaturized, high-throughput, time-resolved fluorescence lifetime sensor implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS process, combining single photon detection, multiple channel timing and embedded pre-processing of fluorescence lifetime estimations on a single device. Detection is achieved using an array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) arranged in a digital silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) architecture with 400 ps output pulses and a 10% fill-factor. An array of time-to-digital converters (TDCs) with ≈50 ps resolution records up to 8 photon events during each excitation period. Data from the TDC array is then processed using a centre-of-mass method (CMM) pre-calculation to produce fluorescence lifetime estimations in real-time. The sensor is believed to be the first reported implementation of embedded fluorescence lifetime estimation. The system is demonstrated in a practical laboratory environment with measurements of a variety of fluorescent dyes with different single exponential lifetimes, successfully showing the sensor's ability to overcome the classic pile-up limitation of time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) by over an order of magnitude.
AB - We describe a miniaturized, high-throughput, time-resolved fluorescence lifetime sensor implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS process, combining single photon detection, multiple channel timing and embedded pre-processing of fluorescence lifetime estimations on a single device. Detection is achieved using an array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) arranged in a digital silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) architecture with 400 ps output pulses and a 10% fill-factor. An array of time-to-digital converters (TDCs) with ≈50 ps resolution records up to 8 photon events during each excitation period. Data from the TDC array is then processed using a centre-of-mass method (CMM) pre-calculation to produce fluorescence lifetime estimations in real-time. The sensor is believed to be the first reported implementation of embedded fluorescence lifetime estimation. The system is demonstrated in a practical laboratory environment with measurements of a variety of fluorescent dyes with different single exponential lifetimes, successfully showing the sensor's ability to overcome the classic pile-up limitation of time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) by over an order of magnitude.
KW - biosensors
KW - silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs)
KW - single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs)
KW - time domain fluorescence lifetime
KW - time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84872678255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TBCAS.2012.2222639
DO - 10.1109/TBCAS.2012.2222639
M3 - Article
C2 - 23853257
AN - SCOPUS:84872678255
SN - 1932-4545
VL - 6
SP - 562
EP - 570
JO - IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems
JF - IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems
IS - 6
ER -