Real-time discreet SPAD array readout architecture for time of flight PET

Single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays have proven themselves as serious candidates for time of flight positron emission tomography (PET). Discreet readout schemes mitigate the low-noise requirements of analog schemes and offer very fine control on threshold levels and timing pickup strategies. A high optical fill factor is paramount to timing performance in such detectors, and therefore space is limited for closely integrated electronics. On the other hand, a production, daily used PET scanner must minimize bandwidth usage, data volume, data analysis time and power consumption, and therefore requires a real-time readout and data processing architecture as close to the detector as possible.