A new single-photon avalanche diode in 90nm standard CMOS technology

Abstract

A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) fabricated in a 90nm standard CMOS process is reported. The detector comprises an octagonal multiplication region and a guard ring to prevent premature edge breakdown using exclusively standard layers. The proposed structure is the result of a systematic study aimed at miniaturization, while optimizing overall performance. The device exhibits a dark count rate of 16 kHz at room temperature, a maximum photon detection probability of 16% and the jitter of 398ps at a wavelength of 637nm. Applications include time-of-flight 3D vision, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and time-resolved gamma/X-ray imaging. Standard characterization of the SPAD was performed in different bias voltages and temperatures. © 2010 SPIE.