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Fundamental limits to depth imaging with single-photon detector array sensors.

ABSTRACT: Single-Photon Avalanche Detector (SPAD) arrays are a rapidly emerging technology. These multi-pixel sensors have single-photon sensitivities and pico-second temporal resolutions thus they can rapidly generate depth images with millimeter precision. Such sensors are a key enabling technology for future autonomous systems as they provide guidance and situational awareness. However, to fully exploit the capabilities of SPAD array sensors, it is crucial to establish the quality of depth images they are able to generate in a wide range of scenarios. Given a particular optical system and a finite image acquisition time, what is the best-case depth resolution and what are realistic images generated by SPAD arrays? In this work, we establish a robust yet simple numerical procedure that rapidly establishes the fundamental limits to depth imaging with SPAD arrays under real world conditions. Our approach accurately generates realistic depth images in a wide range of scenarios, allowing the performance of an optical depth imaging system to be established without the need for costly and laborious field testing. This procedure has applications in object detection and tracking for autonomous systems and could be easily extended to systems for underwater imaging or for imaging around corners.

SUBMITTER: Scholes S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9814290 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fundamental limits to depth imaging with single-photon detector array sensors.

Scholes Stirling S Mora-Martín Germán G Zhu Feng F Gyongy Istvan I Soan Phil P Leach Jonathan J

Scientific reports 20230105 1

Single-Photon Avalanche Detector (SPAD) arrays are a rapidly emerging technology. These multi-pixel sensors have single-photon sensitivities and pico-second temporal resolutions thus they can rapidly generate depth images with millimeter precision. Such sensors are a key enabling technology for future autonomous systems as they provide guidance and situational awareness. However, to fully exploit the capabilities of SPAD array sensors, it is crucial to establish the quality of depth images they ...[more]

PMID: 36604441

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Project description:Depth-encoding detectors with single-ended readout provide a practical, cost-effective approach for constructing high-resolution and high-sensitivity PET scanners. However, the current iteration of such detectors uses a uniform glass light-guide to achieve depth encoding, resulting in nonuniform performance throughout the detector array due to suboptimal intercrystal light sharing. We introduce Prism-PET, a single-ended-readout PET detector module with a segmented light-guide composed of an array of prismatoids that introduce enhanced, deterministic light sharing. Methods: High-resolution PET detector modules were fabricated with single-ended readout of polished multicrystal lutetium yttrium orthosilicate scintillator arrays directly coupled 4-to-1 and 9-to-1 to arrays of 3 × 3 mm silicon photomultiplier pixels. Each scintillator array was coupled at the nonreadout side to a light-guide (one 4-to-1 module with a uniform glass light-guide, one 4-to-1 Prism-PET module, and one 9-to-1 Prism-PET module) to introduce intercrystal light sharing, which closely mimics the behavior of dual-ended readout, with the additional benefit of improved crystal identification. Flood histogram data were acquired using a 3-MBq 22Na source to characterize crystal identification and energy resolution. Lead collimation was used to acquire data at specific depths to determine depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolution. Results: The flood histogram measurements showed excellent and uniform crystal separation throughout the Prism-PET modules, whereas the uniform glass light-guide module had performance degradation at the edges and corners. A DOI resolution of 5.0 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) and an energy resolution of 13% FWHM were obtained in the uniform glass light-guide module. By comparison, the 4-to-1 coupled Prism-PET module achieved a DOI resolution of 2.5 mm FWHM and an energy resolution of 9% FWHM. Conclusion: PET scanners based on our Prism-PET modules with segmented prismatoid light-guide arrays can achieve high and uniform spatial resolution (9-to-1 coupling with ∼1-mm crystals), high sensitivity (20-mm-thick detectors and intercrystal Compton scatter recovery), good energy and timing resolutions (using polished crystals and after applying DOI correction), and compact size (depth encoding eliminates parallax error and permits smaller ring-diameter).

Dataset Information

Fundamental limits to depth imaging with single-photon detector array sensors.

Publications

Fundamental limits to depth imaging with single-photon detector array sensors.

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