Quanta image sensors: Photon-number-resolving megapixel image sensors at room temperature without avalanche gain

Abstract

This paper reports on the state of the art of the Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) being developed by Dartmouth. The QIS is a photon-counting image sensor. Experimental 1Mpixel devices have been implemented in a modified backside-illuminated stacked CMOS image sensor process. Without the use of avalanche multiplicative gain, the sensors have achieved room temperature average read noise of 0.22e- rms (analog readout) permitting photon counting, and over 1000fps readout at under 20mW total power dissipation including pads (single-bit digital readout).