ACTIVE PIXEL RADIATION DETECTOR ARRAY AND USE THEREOF
First Claim
1. A flat panel X-ray detector comprising:
- a scintillator layer that converts X-ray photons into lower energy light photons;
a light imager layer configured to convert the light photons into electrons, wherein the light imager layer comprises an array of active pixels, each active pixel comprising a reset gate and a readout select gate, wherein a first controlling terminal of a respective readout select gate of at least one active pixel is connected to a second controlling terminal of the reset gate of a different active pixel;
a readout device that converts the electrons into digitized pixel values, anda communication unit that transfers the pixel values to an imaging system that is connected to the detector.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Fabrication and use of an X-ray detector scan interface having separate enable and reset lines for each line (e.g., row) of pixels is described. In certain implementations, the respective enable and reset lines are connected such that activation of an enable line for a given line of pixels is concurrent with activation of a reset line for a different (e.g., preceding) row of pixels. In this manner, readout of one row of pixels is performed in conjunction with resetting the row of pixels readout in the preceding operation. In another technical implementation, a non-rectangular detector is divided into quadrants, with alternating quadrants configured for scan module or data module operations such that no quadrant has overlapping scan and data interconnections at the connection finger regions.
23 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A flat panel X-ray detector comprising:
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a scintillator layer that converts X-ray photons into lower energy light photons; a light imager layer configured to convert the light photons into electrons, wherein the light imager layer comprises an array of active pixels, each active pixel comprising a reset gate and a readout select gate, wherein a first controlling terminal of a respective readout select gate of at least one active pixel is connected to a second controlling terminal of the reset gate of a different active pixel; a readout device that converts the electrons into digitized pixel values, and a communication unit that transfers the pixel values to an imaging system that is connected to the detector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for reading out a flat panel detector comprising:
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sequentially activating outputs of scan circuitry, wherein each output of the scan circuitry, when activated, causes a current respective row of pixels to be selected for readout and concurrently causes a preceding row of pixels to be reset; acquiring pixel values as each respective row of pixels is selected for readout. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A flat panel X-ray detector comprising:
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a scintillator layer that converts X-ray photons into lower energy light photons; a light imager layer configured to convert the light photons into electrons, wherein the light imager layer is partitioned into;
two scanning quadrants comprising scanning circuitry or contacting traces connecting to scanning circuitry and two readout quadrants comprising readout circuitry or contacting traces connecting to readout circuitry, wherein the scanning quadrants and readout quadrants are alternated with one another;a readout device that converts the electrons into digitized pixel values, and a communication unit that transfers the pixel values to an imaging system that is connected to the detector. - View Dependent Claims (14, 16)
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15. The flat panel X-ray detector of 13, wherein the flat panel X-ray detector is formed as a circular or squircle-shaped detector.
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17. A method for forming connections on or to a radiation detector, comprising:
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in a first quadrant of a light image panel of the radiation detector, forming only scan line interconnections in a first direction; in a second quadrant of the light imager panel, forming only data line interconnections in a second direction different from the first direction; in a third quadrant of the light imager panel, forming only scan line interconnections in the first direction; and in a fourth quadrant of the light imager panel, forming only data line interconnections in the second direction; wherein, within a plane defined by the radiation detector, the second quadrant is between the first quadrant and the third quadrant and the fourth quadrant is between the third quadrant and the first quadrant and opposite the second quadrant. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification