Photon Counting Cameras for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Faculty of Informatics is pleased to announce a seminar given by Edoardo Charbon

DATE: Friday, June 21st, 2013

PLACE: USI Lugano Campus, room SI-003, Informatics building (Via G. Buffi 13)

TIME: 15.00

ABSTRACT:
Photon counting is not new; it has been used for decades in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging to detect a range of sub-nuclear particles and photons. These particles are generally detected indirectly through scintillators, whereas scintillation emits photons that need to be timed precisely to reconstruct the statistics of the primary photon. Time-resolved single-photon detectors have existed since the 1930s, but it is only in the beginning of the 2000s that solid-state single-photon detectors based on avalanching have become prevalent and are now beginning to be the norm in many imaging applications out of cost, reliability, and accuracy considerations. The evolution from single pixel to multi-pixel photon counters, and the implementation of fully integrated CMOS sensors has accelerated the impact of this technology and expanded the field of applications. In this talk, I will focus on image sensors based on single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) and Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GAPDs) implemented in standard CMOS technologies. After an introduction focused on background concepts and theory, I will discuss basic device physics, avalanche propagation, as well as architectures for fast readout of megapixel image sensors. In this context, I will outline applications involving photon counting cameras, such as single-photon emission computed spectroscopy (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), as well as emerging SPAD based quantum cryptography tools. A discussion on technology directions in advanced, deep-submicron technologies and on the emergence of new materials for extended spectra of detection and ultra-high speed of operation will conclude the talk.

BIO:

Edoardo Charbon is a Professor in VLSI Design in the CAS group since 1 Sep 2008. He received the Diploma from ETH Zurich in 1988, the M.S. from UCSD in 1991, and the Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley in 1995, all in Electrical Engineering. From 1995 to 2000, he was with Cadence Design Systems, where he was responsible for analog and mixed-signal design automation tools and the architect of the company's initiative for electronic IP protection. In 2000, he joined Canesta Inc. as its Chief Architect, leading the development of wireless 3D CMOS image sensors. From November 2002 until August 2008, he has been a member of the Faculty of EPFL, working in the field of CMOS sensors, biophotonics, and ultra low-power wireless embedded systems. He has consulted for numerous organizations, including Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard, and the Carlyle Group. He has published over 150 articles in technical journals and conference proceedings and two books, and he holds thirteen patents. His research interests include high-performance imaging, quantum integrated circuits, and design automation algorithms. Dr. Charbon has served as Guest Editor of the Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems and the Journal of Solid-State Circuits and is currently the chair of technical committees in ESSCIRC, ICECS, and VLSI-SOC.

HOST: Prof. Miroslaw Malek , ALaRI