A fast quench-reset integrated circuit for high-speed single photon detection

This paper presents the design and implementation of a high-speed, and low-power single photon detection system. The system consists of a quench module and a digitizer in forward path and a reset feedback scheme to realize a reset block. This circuit when accompanied with an avalanche photodiode (APD) in its front-end could accurately detect and count the generated photons in few nanoseconds. Schematic-based simulations were conducted with TSMC 180nm CMOS process to characterize the circuit. The simulation results confirm quench time of 3ns for the circuit which adopts to the requirements of high speed photon detection quench circuits in functional near infrared optical brain imaging spectroscopy. The measurements are undergoing and preliminary results confirm the functionality of the design. Controllable hold-off time of 4ns-2μs and a reset time of 1-4ns enhance the characteristics of the proposed circuit among the previously cited solutions.