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Volume 25
Issue 21
10.3390/s25216563
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Development of 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion †

by
Kazuma Chida
*,
Kazuhiro Morimoto
,
Naoki Isoda
,
Hiroshi Sekine
,
Tomoya Sasago
,
Yu Maehashi
,
Satoru Mikajiri
,
Kenzo Tojima
,
Mahito Shinohara
,
Ayman T. Abdelghafar
,
Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
,
Kazuma Inoue
,
Satoshi Omodani
,
Alice Ehara
,
Junji Iwata
,
Tetsuya Itano
,
Yasushi Matsuno
,
Katsuhito Sakurai
and
Takeshi Ichikawa
Canon Inc., 70-1, Yanagi-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki 212-8602, Kanagawa, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
This paper is an extended version of our paper published in Chida, K.; Morimoto, K.; Isoda, N.; Sekine, H.; Sasago, T.; Maehashi, Y.; Mikajiri, S.; Tojima, K.; Shinohara, M.; Abdelghafar, A.; et al. 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated Color SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion. In Proceedings of the 2025 International Image Sensor Workshop, Hyogo, Japan, 2–5 June 2025; p. R9.1. https://doi.org/10.60928/p3m1-o0rz.
Sensors 2025, 25(21), 6563; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25216563 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 September 2025 / Revised: 20 October 2025 / Accepted: 22 October 2025 / Published: 24 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Issue on the 2025 International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW2025))
Versions Notes

Abstract

Sensor fusion is crucial in numerous imaging and sensing applications. Integrating data from multiple sensors with different field-of-view, resolution, and frame timing poses substantial computational overhead. Time-gated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) image sensors have been developed to support multiple sensing modalities and mitigate this issue, but mismatched frame timing remains a challenge. Dual-time-gated SPAD image sensors, which can capture dual images simultaneously, have also been developed. However, the reported sensors suffered from medium-to-large pixel pitch, limited resolution, and inability to independently control the exposure time of the dual images, which restricts their applicability. In this paper, we introduce a 5 µm-pitch, 3D-backside-illuminated (BSI) 1Megapixel dual-time-gated SPAD image sensor enabling a simultaneous output of dual images. The developed SPAD image sensor is verified to operate as an RGB-Depth (RGB-D) sensor without complex image alignment. In addition, a novel high dynamic range (HDR) technique, utilizing pileup effect with two parallel in-pixel memories, is validated for dynamic range extension in 2D imaging, achieving a dynamic range of 119.5 dB. The proposed architecture provides dual image output with the same field-of-view, resolution, and frame timing, and is promising for efficient sensor fusion.
Keywords: SPAD; dual-time-gated; sensor fusion; RGB-D; HDR SPAD; dual-time-gated; sensor fusion; RGB-D; HDR

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Chida, K.; Morimoto, K.; Isoda, N.; Sekine, H.; Sasago, T.; Maehashi, Y.; Mikajiri, S.; Tojima, K.; Shinohara, M.; Abdelghafar, A.T.; et al. Development of 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion. Sensors 2025, 25, 6563. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25216563

AMA Style

Chida K, Morimoto K, Isoda N, Sekine H, Sasago T, Maehashi Y, Mikajiri S, Tojima K, Shinohara M, Abdelghafar AT, et al. Development of 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion. Sensors. 2025; 25(21):6563. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25216563

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chida, Kazuma, Kazuhiro Morimoto, Naoki Isoda, Hiroshi Sekine, Tomoya Sasago, Yu Maehashi, Satoru Mikajiri, Kenzo Tojima, Mahito Shinohara, Ayman T. Abdelghafar, and et al. 2025. "Development of 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion" Sensors 25, no. 21: 6563. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25216563

APA Style

Chida, K., Morimoto, K., Isoda, N., Sekine, H., Sasago, T., Maehashi, Y., Mikajiri, S., Tojima, K., Shinohara, M., Abdelghafar, A. T., Tsuchiya, H., Inoue, K., Omodani, S., Ehara, A., Iwata, J., Itano, T., Matsuno, Y., Sakurai, K., & Ichikawa, T. (2025). Development of 3D-Stacked 1Megapixel Dual-Time-Gated SPAD Image Sensor with Simultaneous Dual Image Output Architecture for Efficient Sensor Fusion. Sensors, 25(21), 6563. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25216563

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