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DIGITAL SILICON PHOTOMULTIPLIER FOR TOF-PET

  • US 20180156926A1
  • Filed: 01/02/2018
  • Published: 06/07/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A radiation detector comprising:

  • a scintillator; and

    an array of detector pixels disposed monolithically on a common silicon substrate and arranged to receive bursts of light produced by the scintillator in response to received radiation, wherein each detector pixel includes;

    an array of detector cells, each detector cell including a photodiode biased in a breakdown region and digital circuitry coupled with the photodiode, the digital circuitry being configured to output a first digital value in a quiescent state and a second digital value responsive to detection of a photon by the photodiode;

    digital triggering circuitry configured to output a trigger signal indicative of a start of an integration time period responsive to a selected number of one or more of the detector cells transitioning from the first digital value to the second digital value; and

    readout digital circuitry that accumulates a count of a number of transitions of detector cells of the array of detector cells from outputting the first digital value to outputting the second digital value over the integration time period.

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