Current students

Single-photon detection is a reliable and widespread technique exploited in many fields, from automotive to quantum physics. Its predominant applications involve the computation of the photons time of flight. Indeed, it is possible to obtain the distance from a target by measuring the arrival time of reflected photons, emitted by a laser source. My Ph.D. research aims at conceiving and designing brand-new integrated circuits, based on SPAD arrays and custom logic to achieve either scanning or flash Lidar. I will introduce novel microelectronic solutions, as a new architecture based on an array of smart pixels composed by small Digital SiPMs, and coincidence logic able to maximize the signal to noise ratio, discerning background photons to signal ones.  Recently, another cutting-edge application of single-photon detectors has emerged: detectors for quantum communication devices. Single photons can be used as a fast and reliable basic unit of information. Thanks to their random behavior, it is feasible to obtain strong random number generators, achieving very high entropy information. All of these tasks can be accomplished by taking advantage of the impressive features provided by Single - Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs), i.e. the low time jitter, operating voltage, and the possibility to integrate the detector within a complex integrated circuit. An example of SPAD exploitation in quantum communication is the European Project “UNIQORN”, whose aim is the development of a new System on Chip for quantum communication. During my Ph.D., I will design and characterize one of the main building blocks required by this project. I will develop a chip for a Quantum Random Number Generator based on SPAD array, concluding with the alignment and integration in the final QRNG.