Patent ID: 7511254

Claim:
A method of detecting light comprising: receiving at least one signal with at least one cascade of N gain elements operably couplable with circuitry, the at least one cascade having at least: N greater than or equal to a positive integer sufficient to provide the at least one cascade with a gain such that a predetermined operable signal at an input of the at least one cascade generates a signal at an output of the at least one cascade that is larger than a predetermined operable threshold value; an input of a gain element of the at least one cascade operably couplable with the circuitry; a gain element of the at least one cascade having a gain larger than one by an amount such that a noise factor of said the at least one cascade operating on the predetermined operable signal at the input of the at least one cascade is substantially minimized; and one or more output value detection circuits respectively operably coupled with one or more outputs of the N gain elements.