Singular Photonics

Singular Photonics is a fabless semiconductor company spun out of the University of Edinburgh's CMOS Sensors and Systems Group, developing SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) image sensor technology for 4D imaging applications. Founded in February 2024 by CEO Shahida Imani, CTO Dr. Aravind Venugopalan, Professor Robert Henderson, and Dr. Neil Finlayson, the company translates more than two decades of academic photonics research into manufacturable products that combine single-photon sensitivity with on-chip digital computation — producing sensors capable of capturing time, depth, and spatial information simultaneously in a compact, scalable form factor.

The core problem Singular Photonics addresses is the limitation of conventional image sensors in applications that require more than passive light capture. Traditional cameras measure intensity. SPAD sensors measure time — specifically, the precise moment at which individual photons arrive at each pixel. This timing information enables a range of capabilities impossible with conventional imaging: real-time depth measurement for LiDAR and structured light systems, fluorescence lifetime analysis for Raman spectroscopy and FLIM microscopy, single-photon detection for quantum optics research, and gated imaging for low-light and high-speed applications. Singular Photonics' innovation is to integrate the computational hardware needed to process this timing data directly into the sensor chip itself, eliminating the need for external signal processing and making the technology practical for deployment in commercial systems.

The company's Andarta and Sirona product families are already commercially available and generating revenue — a rare milestone for a semiconductor spinout in its first year of operation. Singular Photonics has secured partnerships with leading instrumentation companies and has been selected for Silicon Catalyst UK's incubation programme and the UK government's Chipstart UK initiative. Investors include the Scottish Venture Fund, Cambridge Angels, and Old College Capital, with the company headquartered at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.