New Photon-Counting Detectors Expand Frontiers in Scientific Imaging

Jiaju Ma explains the fundamentals of photon-counting image sensors, or quanta image sensors (QIS), beginning with the background knowledge necessary to effectively apply these devices. This presentation includes a discussion of the key noise sources in image sensors as well as the common strategies used to mitigate these sources. Ma also summarizes and compares the relative merits of different methods used to achieve higher levels of sensitivity among different detector architectures—such as EMCCDs, SPADs, and CIS-QIS. He further compares the performance of state-of-the-art photon-counting sensors in terms of read noise, dark count rate, and quantum efficiency, and examines the effect these parameters have on the photon-counting error rate. Finally, the presentation outlines how photon-counting detectors can benefit applications—including scientific imaging, astronomy, medical imaging, quantum technology, and time-resolved imaging—and Ma shares which photon-counting architectures are best suited for each application.

About the presenter
Jiaju Ma, Ph.D., is a pioneering inventor and entrepreneur in the development and commercialization of the QIS. He is the lead inventor and designer of multiple key innovations that enable QIS photon-counting pixels. He co-founded Gigajot Technology in 2017 and has led the R&D and product development since then. He has over nine years of experience in CMOS image sensor development. He holds over 20 U.S. patents and patent applications and is co-author of more than 30 technical publications.