Architectural Modeling and Experimental Characterization of a SPAD-Based Imager Developed for Fast-Quantum Ghost Imaging Applications

Quantum Ghost Imaging (QGI) uses quantum light properties to investigate biological samples. It involves a single quantum source generating two beams: a visible signal beam detected by an image sensor and an idler beam with sample information detected by a single-channel bucket detector. Temporal correlations between these two detectors are exploited to create a ghost image of the sample at the target wavelength without requiring an expensive custom detector. This study presents a Monte Carlo simulation model of a Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) based array for QGI microscopy highlighting the key features and major limitations. A 100×100-pixel array prototype is presented and characterized showing a less than 3% false-event rate and an average correlation window ranging between 3 and 7.8 ns with 0.4 and 0.6 ns standard deviation respectively. A smart zero-suppression readout allows fast QGI up to 80 kframe/s.