Michael Joseph Williams received the Award of Excellence for his research poster at the 2012 NASA Summer Intern Symposium. Image Credit: URC. 
Delaware State University
Major: Optics
Degree Level: Ph.D.
Internship Site: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Mentor: Dr. Anthony Yu
Abstract: Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (APDs) can convert the arrival of a single photon into a digital logic pulse. Arrays of APDs can be directly interfaced to arrays of per-pixel digital electronics fabricated in silicon CMOS, providing the capability to time the arrival of photons in each pixel. These arrays are of interest for “flash” LADAR systems, where multiple target pixels are simultaneously illuminated by the laser during a single laser pulse, and the imaging array is used to measure range to each of the illuminated pixels. This summer I planned to integrate the GM-APD camera with a Yb:YAG laser for experimental test of LIDAR and distance-imaging.
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