Until recently, photomultiplier tubes have been the detector of choice for sensing low photon emission in many scientific applications. The rise of silicon photomultiplier technology has changed the status quo creating a true revolution in single-photon sensing and time-resolved imaging. While analog silicon photomultipliers (a-SiPMs) have appeared first and are still dominating the scene, digital silicon photomultipliers (d-SiPMs) are making headways in many scientific disciplines due to their different approach to photon detection. However, doubts still exist on the real advantages of d-SiPMs. In this talk I will address what we believe to be the true advantages of d-SiPMs in the context of specific applications, such as time-of-flight positron emission tomography (PET), time-resolved Raman spectroscopy and time-resolved X ray imaging. I will discuss the emergence of deep-submicron CMOS single-photon avalanche diodes, and how they can enable the design of better d-SiPMs. Time-of-arrival single-photon detection can now be implemented on chip or even on-pixel, thus the dream of a completely standalone d-SiPM on a pinhead is getting near. Contact R. Ischebeck, 5535
