Real-time fluorescence lifetime imaging system with a 32 × 32 0.13?m CMOS low dark-count single-photon avalanche diode array

Real-time fluorescence lifetime imaging system with a 32 × 32 0.13?m CMOS low dark-count single-photon avalanche diode array

Li, D.U.
Arlt, J.
Richardson, J.
Walker, R.
Buts, A.
Stoppa, D.
Charbon, E.
Henderson, R.

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Micro Electronics

2010-05-03

A compact real-time fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) system based on an array of low dark count 0.13?m CMOS singlephoton avalanche diodes (SPADs) is demonstrated. Fast background-insensitive fluorescence lifetime determination is achieved by use of a recently proposed algorithm called ‘Integration for Extraction Method’ (IEM) [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25, 1190 (2008)]. Here, IEM is modified for a wider resolvability range and implemented on the FPGA of the new SPAD array imager. We experimentally demonstrate that the dynamic range and accuracy of calculated lifetimes of this new camera is suitable for widefield FLIM applications by imaging a variety of test samples, including various standard fluorophores covering a lifetime range from 1.6ns to 16ns, microfluidic mixing of fluorophore solutions, and living fungal spores of Neurospora Crassa. The calculated lifetimes are in a good agreement with literature values. Real-time fluorescence lifetime imaging is also achieved, by performing parallel 32 × 16 lifetime calculations, realizing a compact and low-cost FLIM camera and promising for bigger detector arrays.

photon counting
avalanche photodiodes (APDs)
microscopy
fluorescence microscopy
lifetime-based sensing
time-resolved imaging

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b4433957-0951-4eb6-9181-e0992505f366

https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.18.010257

Optical Society of America

1094-4087

http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-18-10-10257

Optics Express, 18 (10), 2010

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2010 Optical Society of America