Researchers from IBM and Hamamatsu presented a discussion at the ASM International ISTFA 2019 Conference about the first prototype of a Scanning Time-Resolved Emission system for detecting single photons. This system consists of a high-sensitivity, low-noise, and low-jitter single-point superconducting single-photon detector, which is combined with a specialized scanning head of a laser scanning microscope.
This idea was first proposed in late 2006, but required the right combination of detector, customization, and collaboration with a tool vendor to get to fruition. It should be understood that this is still a prototype system under development, and significant improvements in acquisition time, resolutions, and performance are expected in the near future.
In this paper, the researchers also presented the first preliminary results acquired using a test chip fabricated in 32 nm SOI.
(The image shows the Zeiss LSM 900 laser scanning microscope. – editor)
Title: Time-Resolved Imaging of VLSI Circuits using a Single-Point Single-Photon Detector and a Scanning Head
Authors: Dr. Franco Stellari, IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, New York
Dr. Peilin Song, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York
Mr. Yoshitaka Iwaki, Hamamatsu Photonics Deutschland GmbH, Herrsching, Germany
Stanley Kim, Manuel Villalobos, Hamamatsu Photonics, Bridgewater, New Jersey
