Blackhall & Powis Raises $1.4M Funding

Singular Photonics

Singular Photonics is pioneering the development of image sensors based on single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) that also integrate advanced on-chip computation. This allows information to be analysed at the point where light is first detected, making the company’s sensors capable of extracting meaningful information in real time. As sensors become increasingly capable of understanding the information they capture, they can enable smaller, faster and more efficient systems that meet the growing demands of edge computing and AI-driven applications. Our approach transforms SPAD sensors into computational engines capable of performing a wide range of sophisticated tasks, such as real-time photon counting, timing, and advanced processing techniques like autocorrelation. Our 3D stacked sensors have broad applicability, from imaging in the scientific and medical fields, and much more beyond. Why SPADs? Every digital camera, industrial vision system and scientific imaging instrument depends on image sensors to capture light and convert it into useful information. Over the decades, these sensors have improved, but they are now approaching the limits of how much information can be captured. The arrival of sensors based on SPADs is changing that. Unlike conventional image sensors, which essentially measure the intensity of light, SPAD sensors can precisely detect and time individual photons (the smallest units of light). This opens the door to an entirely new generation of imaging systems that can capture information that conventional cameras simply cannot see.