MULTI-LAYER HORIZONTAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) DETECTOR ARRAY WITH AT LEAST ONE THIN PHOTOSENSOR ARRAY LAYER DISPOSED BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO SCINTILLATOR ARRAY LAYERS

• US 20130292574A1
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: LEVENE, SIMHA, VAN VEEN, NICOLAAS JOHANNES ANTHONIUS, ALTMAN, AMIAZ, UMAN, IGOR, GOSHEN, RAFAEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,012,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/362
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/482 involving multiple energy imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2018 Scintillation-photodiode combinations
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/202 the detector being a crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/362 with scintillation detectors see provisionally also G01T1/36, G01T1/20

Abstract

An imaging system (100) includes a radiation sensitive detector array (110). The detector array includes at least two scintillator array layers (116). The detector array further includes at least two corresponding photosensor array layers (114). At least one of the at least two photosensor array layers is located between the at least two scintillator array layers in a direction of incoming radiation. The at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers has a thickness that is less than thirty microns.

Claims

1. An imaging system, comprising:

a radiation sensitive detector array, comprising;

at least two scintillator array layers; and

at least two corresponding photosensor array layers,

wherein at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers is located between the at least two scintillator array layers in a direction of incoming radiation, and wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers has a thickness that is less than thirty microns.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the photosensor array layers are located between the at least two scintillator array layers.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein in the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers, the current produced by direct conversion is less than one tenth of one percent of the current produced therein by light from the scintillator.

4. The imaging system of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers includes a material with an atomic number of less than thirty-five.

5. The imaging system of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers comprises at least one of silicon or gallium arsenide.

6. The imaging system of claim 5, wherein at least the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers includes a thinned semiconductor-on-insulator photodiode array mounted on film.

7. The imaging system of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers includes a thin photodiode array printed on a flexible plastic sheet.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein a first scintillator array layer of the at least two scintillator array layers that is nearer to the incoming radiation includes a first material with a first atomic number and a second scintillator array layer of the at least two scintillator array layers that is farther from the incoming radiation includes a second material with a second atomic number material, wherein the first atomic number is less than the second atomic number.

9. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein the first scintillator array layer includes at least one of doped zinc selenide or doped yttrium-gadolinium aluminum garnet.

10. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein the second scintillator array layer includes at least one of gadolinium oxysulfide or lutetium aluminum garnet.

11. The imaging system of claim 1, the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers, comprising:

individual photodiodes (206₁), and the system further comprising;

first readout electronics; and

a first electrical circuit coupled to the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers, wherein the first electrical circuit routes electrical signals produced by at least a subset of the individual photodiodes to the first readout electronics.

12. The imaging system of claim 11, further comprising:

second readout electronics; and

an second electrical circuit coupled to a second of the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers, wherein the second electrical circuit routes electrical signals produced by a second subset of the individual photodiodes to the second readout electronics.

13. The imaging system of claim 1, the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers, comprising:

individual photodiodes, and the system further comprising;

first readout electronics; and

an electrical interconnect which routes electrical signals produced by at least a subset of the individual photodiodes from one or more edges of the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers to the first readout electronics.

14. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising:

different readout electronics for the at least two photosensor array layers, wherein the different readout electronics are stacked along the direction of the incoming radiation; and

different radiation shields corresponding to the different readout electronics, wherein each radiation shield is interleaved in the stack above corresponding electronics.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting radiation with a multi-spectral horizontal detector array of an imaging system,

wherein the detector array includes at least two scintillator array layers; and

at least two corresponding photosensor array layers, wherein at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers is located between the at least two scintillator array layers in a direction along incoming radiation, and the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers has a thickness that is less than thirty microns;

generating a signal, via the detector array, indicative of the detected radiation; and

processing the signal to generate one or more images.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers converts less than one percent of the radiation incident thereon into direct-conversion current.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers includes a material with an atomic number of less than thirty-five.

18. The method of any of claim 15, further comprising:

routing signals from individual photodiodes of the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers to readout electronics using flexible electrical circuits.

19. The method of any of claim 15, further comprising:

routing signals produced by individual photodiodes of the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers from at least one edge of the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers to readout electronics using an electrical interconnect.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

routing the signals to at least two integrated circuits of the readout electronics which are arrange with respect to each other along a direction of incoming radiation.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

routing the signals to at least two integrated circuits of the readout electronics which are arrange with respect to each other along a direction transverse to incoming radiation.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

routing the signals to readout electronics that include radiation hardened components.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

shielding radiation traversing the at least two scintillator array layers and the at least two corresponding photosensor array layers with a radiation shield located between the readout electronics and the incoming radiation.

24. A radiation sensitive detector array, comprising:

at least two scintillator array layers; and

at least two corresponding photosensor array layers,

wherein at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers is located between the at least two scintillator array layers in a direction along incoming radiation, and the at least one of the at least two photosensor array layers has a thickness less than thirty microns.