An In-Pixel Ambient Suppression Method for Direct Time of Flight
 
An In-Pixel Ambient Suppression Method for Direct Time of Flight ■
 
Ayman Morsy, Ayman Morsy, Ayman Morsy, Cedric Baijot, Cedric Baijot, Cedric Baijot, Gobinath Jegannathan, Gobinath Jegannathan, Gobinath Jegannathan, Thomas Lapauw, Thomas Lapauw, Thomas Lapauw, Thomas Van den Dries, Thomas Van den Dries, Thomas Van den Dries, Maarten Kuijk, Maarten Kuijk, Maarten Kuijk
 
Abstract ■

This letter proposes a novel SPAD-based pixel, designed for direct time-of-flight (dToF) imaging with in-pixel averaging, which provides a promising advancement in low-power and potentially high image resolution for outdoor applications. By utilizing a laser pulse and two orthogonal sinusoidal signals, the pixel averages out the detected ambient light while accumulating the laser pulse round-trip time. A prototype pixel array was fabricated using a 180 nm CMOS process, featuring a commercial SPAD cell. By characterizing one pixel and employing a 100 klux solar emulator as an ambient light source with a fixed 40 ambient-to-signal ratio (ASR) over a 360â—¦ phase shift, equivalent to 6 m detection range, the maximum detected accuracy error was 3.3 \%, with a 5 cm precision.