The Japan Patent Office has issued Singapore-based Zecotek Imaging Systems Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Zecotek Photonics Inc., a patent for its microchannel avalanche photodiode silicon photomultiplier. The device can detect very small signals, making it useful for photon counting. It is insensitive to high magnetic fields and allows very tight timing resolution by providing fast pulse rise time and low jitter. Zecotek CEO Dr. A.F. Zerrouk said the device is now patented in Japan, the U.S., Russia, South Korea, Singapore and China, with patents pending in other countries.