Compact sub-nanosecond time-gated camera based on a new 128x128 Current-Assisted Photonic Sampler (CAPS) for pre-clinical macroscale fluorescence lifetime imaging

Time-gated image sensors with (sub-) nanosecond gating times enable applications in multiple domains. Commercial Intensified CCD cameras or the more recent time-gated SPAD image sensors suffer from low Quantum Efficiency. We present an imaging system based on the tauCAM, a compact time-gated camera with our new 128x128-pixel CAPS sensor. The higher resolution is achieved with a new pixel architecture, yielding an improved fill factor. The capabilities of the new imaging system are demonstrated in a pre-clinical experimental setup. In vivo imaging in subcutaneous mice tumor models reveal that FLT imaging with the tauCAM provides additional contrast between tumor and healthy tissue, in particular for tracers sensitive to their physiological environment.