Arctic core micro SPAD chip ( wafer )

Recently, Shenzhen PolarisIC Co., Ltd. (Hereinafter referred to as "PolarisIC") announced the successful development of high-performance SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) with complete intellectual property rights, successfully passed the test and acceptance, and synchronously launched a new dToF (Direct Time of Flight Ranging) chip and PCI (Photon Counting Imaging) chip based on self-developed SPAD. To achieve a breakthrough in the localization of single photon sensing chips.

PolarisIC is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the design of depth sensing and low-light imaging chips, headquartered in Shenzhen, with a research and development center in Wuhan. As the first team to enter the field of single photon sensor research in China, PolarisIC has been engaged in SPAD development, depth perception and low-light imaging algorithm research and implementation, and is committed to creating more agile and efficient single photon sensing chip solutions.

The main application fields of SPAD-based sensing chip

SPAD is a kind of photoelectric device with the ability of single photon detection.SPAD can measure the distance with the speed of light, which can achieve microsecond measurement time and sub-millimeter measurement accuracy.At the same time, it can collect images in the way of photon counting, which can realize night vision imaging or high-speed imaging. Sensing chips based on SPAD are widely used in lidar, laser focusing, proximity sensing, 3D modeling, low-light imaging, fluorescence analysis and other fields. At present, the annual usage of sensing chips has exceeded one billion, and it is recognized as one of the most competitive solutions for low-cost vehicle lidar, which has broad prospects for development.

According to Yole Development, a research Institute, the 3D perception market will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 14.5% by 2026, and the global 3D perception market capacity will reach 15 billion US dollars by 2026; According to Frost & Sullivan, another research Institute, the image chip market will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 11.9% by 2025, and the global sales of image chips will reach 33 billion US dollars by 2025.

Arctic core micro SPAD chip structure diagram

The research and development of SPAD involves many physical and engineering problems such as material properties, avalanche mechanism and process development, and requires high time resolution, high consistency, low dark noise, high detection efficiency and other characteristics at the same time, which has extremely high technical barriers. At present, the relevant practical technologies are monopolized by Sony, ST, AMS, Canon and other large foreign manufacturers. Due to the lack of high-performance and high-reliability SPAD IP, there is a big gap between the performance of domestic manufacturers and similar products of large foreign manufacturers.

Arctic core micro SPAD single photon spectrum 
The clear single-photon spectrum shows that SPAD has excellent single-photon resolution.

Recognizing the importance and technical monopoly of high-performance SPAD, and combining with the technical accumulation of the team for many years, PolarisIC aims to firmly grasp the core technology in its own hands. From the beginning of its establishment, it has chosen the
difficult road of self-developed SPAD. Based on its rich design experience, it has developed a brand-new high-performance SPAD with complete intellectual property rights, which has been successfully lit up at one time.

North core micro SPAD breakdown voltage test results 
The breakdown voltage distribution range is 24.6-24.7V.

The key performance of SPAD developed by PolarisIC is significantly higher than that of competing products, breaking the technological monopoly of foreign countries, with the following advantages:

High time resolution
The time jitter of single photon detection is less than 25ps, which reaches the world leading level and ensures the sub-millimeter precision;

Good consistency
Breakdown voltage fluctuation is less than 0.1V, reaching the world's leading level, making product production calibration easier and obtaining higher reliability;

The dark noise is small
The dark count rate is as low as 0.3cps/µm ², two orders of magnitude ahead of similar products;

High infrared sensitivity
The peak wavelength is 650 nm and the detection efficiency is 11% at 905 nm.

The DTS3040 dToF chip and PCL7150 PCI chip were also released simultaneously with the self-developed SPAD.

DTS3040 dToF chip

DTS3040 is a single-channel dToF chip, which integrates self-developed SPAD, high-speed TDC and ranging algorithm coprocessor, and built-in time-dependent photon threshold algorithm, etc., to achieve high-precision ranging while ensuring excellent anti-ambient light performance and anti-jamming capability. The DTS3040 features I2C and SPI interfaces in a compact and reliable optical LGA package for Obstacle Avoidance and Assisted landing, sweeper and AGV obstacle avoidance, loT (user or object presence detection), volume detection (inventory detection, liquid level detection, etc.), proximity detection and more.

PCL7150 photon counting imaging chip

PCL7150 photon counting imaging chip is a new type of imaging chip which is different from the traditional CMOS and CCD. It uses self-developed SPAD as the photosensitive element and can count single photon.Detection. Image information is obtained by recording the number of photons received. The PCL7150 digitizes the signal at the pixel level and outputs image data without AD sampling, so the output frame rate is much higher than that of CMOS image chips, up to 15 K FPS @ 25 MHz clock. At the same time, PCL7150 integrates gray centroid algorithm, which can output centroid data at 53.8K FPS, greatly improving the measurement speed. Each pixel has 256 gray levels, and can flexibly achieve the required image depth in different applications through multi-frame superposition. PCL7150 can be used in laser displacement chip, laser caliper, sweeper obstacle avoidance radar (triangulation), image scanning and other fields.

PolarisIC has always maintained in-depth communication with customers and carried out product development based on the actual needs of customers. Therefore, DTS3040 and PCL7150 products have received high attention and follow-up from customers before their release. At present,
they have received orders of millions of yuan, and will start sample supply and small batch delivery in late September.

Next, PolarisIC will launch cost-effective single-point dToF chips and modules, 8 × 8 small area array dToF chips, low-light imaging area array chips and prototypes based on self-developed SPAD within the year, and will continue to rapidly launch a series of depth sensing and low-light imaging chips to enrich solutions and further reduce costs. PolarisIC is willing to work with friends to build an ecosystem of single photon sensing chips, strive to promote the large-scale application of single photon sensing chips, and always bear in mind the mission of making visual sensing more agile and efficient for the benefit of consumers.