GM-APD阵列高精度像素读出电路设计  

High precision pixel readout circuit design for GM-APD array

作　　者：赵佳姮 赵毅强[1] 叶茂[1] 夏显召[1] 周国清[2] 

机构地区：[1]天津市成像与感知微电子技术重点实验室(天津大学),天津300072 [2]桂林理工大学广西空间信息与测绘重点实验室,广西桂林541004

出　　处：《红外与激光工程》2017年第1期138-145,共8页Infrared and Laser Engineering

基　　金：国家海洋局项目(cxsf-39)

摘　　要：提出并设计了一种适用于激光3D成像的盖革模式雪崩光电二极管(Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode,GM-APD)阵列像素读出电路。基于飞行时间(time-of-flight,TOF)原理,像素读出电路主要由两部分组成:有源淬火电路(active quenching circuit,AQC)和时间数字转换器(time-to-digital converter,TDC)。所采用的TDC是粗细结合的两段式计数方式,成功实现了时钟频率和时间分辨率间的折中。基于内插技术,由粗计数的线性反馈移位寄存器和细计数的延时线型TDC共同实现了高达18-bit的动态范围。同时两者的时钟频率分别降低至250 MHz和500 MHz,分别是常规设计频率的1/20和1/10,大大降低了设计和应用难度。电路采用SMIC 0.18μm工艺设计,后仿结果显示达到了200 ps的高精度时间分辨率,对应的距离分辨率为3 cm,完全能够满足3 km激光3D成像中的测距要求。像素电路版图面积小于50×95μm2,总功耗为0.89 m W,具有小面积和低功耗的优势。A pixel readout circuit was presented and designed for Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode（GM-APD） array applying to laser 3D imaging. Based on the principle of time-of-flight（TOF）, the pixel readout circuit consisted of two main parts： active quenching circuit（AQC） and time-to-digital converter（TDC）. The adopted TDC was a two-segment coarse-fine architecture to manage a trade-off between clock frequency and temporal resolution. Based on interpolation technique, the LFSR used for coarse counting and the delay-line type TDC used for fine counting achieved a wide dynamic range up to 18-bit together. Meanwhile the clock frequency used in those two parts were reduced to 250 MHz and50 MHz, which are 1/20 and 1/10 of the conventional design frequency, respectively. Thus, the difficulties of design and applications were reduced significantly. The circuit was designed with SMIC0.18 μm process. The post-simulation results reveal a high precise temporal resolution of 200 ps and a responding range resolution of 3 cm, satisfying the ranging requirements of 3 km laser 3D imaging.Furthermore, the pixel circuit layout area is less than 50×95 μm2, and the total power consumption is 0.89 m W, having the advantages of small area and low power consumption.

关 键 词：读出电路 盖革模式雪崩光电二极管 延时线型TDC 激光3D成像 

分 类 号：TN432[电子电信—微电子学与固体电子学]