About

A fabless SPAD image sensor company emerging from the labs of SPAD digital imaging pioneer Prof Robert Henderson, Chair of Electronic Imaging at the University of Edinburgh, Singular is the first company to bring advanced computation to SPAD-based image sensors.

The SPAD advantage

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Previous digital imaging technologies, such as charge coupled devices (CCD) were limited to capturing 2D images in optimal lighting conditions, requiring cooling and noisy analogue signal processing paths.

SPADs work differently: they are P-N junctions reverse bias beyond breakdown and convert light (photons) directly into digital signal due to high inherent gain without the need for any analogue signal processing.

This eliminates inefficiencies associated with converting analogue signals and results in faster, noiseless time-resolved operation with the very lowest light levels.

Simultaneously capturing depth and temporal dimensions to generate 4D images that provide deep, data-rich insights, our sensors will enable the world to extract more information from light.

Building the future of SPADs

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Our mission is to be at the forefront of sensor innovation inspiring the next generation of technology advancements that will improve life for everyone.

Advances in SPAD detector manufacturing mean that the technology is now approaching quantum-level sensing, allowing for the integration of computational layers directly beneath SPAD arrays.

Singular was formed to harness the true potential of single photon detection – in-pixel and cross-pixel storage and computations at the lowest light levels, revealing previously invisible details of the material world and its photon events.

A rich pedigree

Singular Photonics was formed with deep roots in the University of Edinburgh CMOS Sensors and Systems group, led by Prof Henderson. He pioneered one of the first SPAD image sensors in nanometer CMOS technologies, leading to one of the first time-of-flight sensors in 2013. These sensors perform an autofocus-assist now present in more than a billion smartphones worldwide.

Latest publications

Singular Photonics Emerges from Stealth with Portfolio of SPAD-based Image Sensors

Startup introduces range of sensors with layers of advanced computation to extract valuable information from images.

Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy with the Andarta Sensor

The Andarta Sensor from Singular Photonics is a 512×512 single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array (Gorman, 2024).

Time-resolved Raman Spectroscopy and Imaging with the Sirona Sensor

Time-resolved Raman and fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and imaging is a key application of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensors (Finlayson...

Sirona sensor-based fluorescence lifetime imaging microsope

The microscope utilises a laser-line focus optically conjugated to a 1024 channel Sirona single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor.

Full Spectral Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging with the Sirona Sensor

Time-resolved full-spectrum fluorescence lifetime microscopy (FS-FLIM) is a promising experimental technique to characterise samples ranging from semiconductors to biological tissue.