METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESOLVING RELATIVE TIMES-OF-ARRIVAL OF LIGHT PULSES

摘要

A method and apparatus for resolving relative times-of-arrival of a plurality of light pulses includes a plurality of drift-field detectors (110). Each drift-field detector includes a light sensor (204) and a semiconductor drift region (202). Each light sensor generates an electrical charge from at least one of the plurality of light pulses. Each semiconductor drift region receives the electrical charge from its respective light sensor and, pursuant to an electric field therein, produces a spatial charge distribution. The spatial charge distribution for each of the semiconductor drift regions is stored in an analog storage device (112) associated therewith. The relative positions of the charge distributions in the semiconductor drift regions are used to calculate the relative times-of-arrival of the light pulses.