A 1Mega-pixel 1000fps Path-finder Single-bit Quanta Image Sensor

Quanta Image sensors (QIS) are proposed as a paradigm shift in image capture to take advantage of shrinking pixel sizes [1]. The key aspects of the single-bit QIS involve counting individual photoelectrons using tiny, spatially-oversampled binary photodetectors at high readout rates, representing this binary output as a bit cube (x,y,t) and finally processing the bit cubes to form high dynamic range images. One of the challenges for the QIS is the design of internal high-speed and low-power addressing and readout circuitry. A QIS may contain over a billion specialized photodetectors, called jots, each producing just 1mV of signal, with a field readout rate 10-100 times faster than conventional CMOS image sensors. This paper presents a pathfinder image sensor for exploring the low-power binary readout circuits needed for commercial implementation of giga-jot single-bit QIS devices.