Edinburgh-based startup Singular Photonics has emerged from stealth mode, unveiling a new generation of image sensors based on single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs).
The company, a spinout from the University of Edinburgh, is set to revolutionise multiple sectors including medical imaging, scientific instrumentation, and quantum applications.
SPADs are highly sensitive detectors capable of identifying individual photons. When a photon hits a SPAD sensor, it triggers an avalanche effect, causing a sudden surge of current that can be detected by electronics.
This technology allows for extremely precise photon detection and fast data processing, enabling applications such as real-time cancer diagnosis and advancements in quantum research.
Singular Photonics’ innovative approach adds complex layers of computation beneath 3D-stacked SPAD sensors, revealing previously invisible details of the material world.
Professor Robert Henderson, co-founder and Scientific Advisor of the company, explained:
“There can be no doubt that SPAD sensors are the future of digital imaging, but their use to date in commercial devices hasn’t extended much beyond time-resolved counting of photons. Computational cleverness can be the difference. We are building next-generation imaging sensors, where the computation is done digitally at the pixel level – exactly where the photons arrive.”
The company has already developed two products: Andarta, for use in medical imaging, and Sirona, a 512-pixel SPAD-based line sensor for spectroscopy applications.
Shahida Imani, CEO of Singular Photonics, stated:
“We are in a unique position where we already have commercially available products and are generating revenue in our first year of incorporation. With new, even more advanced sensors coming to the market in 2025, we are well positioned to lead the SPAD-driven imaging revolution.”
This development represents a significant advancement in imaging technology, with potential applications ranging from wearable medical devices to quantum computing. As the company prepares to showcase its products at the upcoming SPIE Photonics West event in San Francisco, the imaging industry eagerly anticipates the impact of this groundbreaking technology.
