Singular Photonics

Singular Photonics is an Edinburgh-based fabless semiconductor company commercialising SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) image sensor technology for 4D imaging applications. Founded in February 2024 as a spinout from the University of Edinburgh's CMOS Sensors and Systems Group — one of the world's leading research centres in single-photon detection — the company is translating over two decades of academic research in photonics into manufacturable semiconductor components that enable high-resolution, real-time three-dimensional imaging with depth and time information. The company is headquartered at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh and is supported by the Scottish Enterprise High Growth Spinout Programme and the UK government's ChipStart UK initiative.

SPAD sensors detect individual photons with extreme timing precision, converting light directly into digital signals without the noise penalties of conventional image sensors. By integrating advanced computation directly at the pixel level — including on-chip histogramming, autocorrelation, and time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) — Singular Photonics' sensors produce rich 4D images that capture spatial geometry, depth, and temporal information simultaneously. This capability underpins applications across autonomous vehicles, which require real-time 3D object detection across varying lighting conditions; robotic manipulation, which demands precise geometric understanding; medical imaging, where non-ionising volumetric sensing opens new diagnostic modalities; LiDAR and structured light systems; spectroscopy; fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM); and quantum applications. The company has already launched commercially available sensor products, including the Sirona line sensor and the Andarta imaging sensor.

Singular Photonics has raised £1 million in seed funding from the Scottish Venture Fund, Cambridge Angels, and Old College Capital (OCC Ventures). The company generated revenue within its first year of incorporation, secured strategic partnerships with leading instrumentation companies, and has been independently audited by BSI for its quality management and customer satisfaction practices. It has also collaborated with Renishaw on a next-generation SPAD-based Raman spectroscopy module, validating the sensor platform's precision in commercial scientific instrumentation environments.