Devices for imaging radionuclide emissions

• US 7,173,251 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2001
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Leicester
• Original Assignee: University of Leicester
• Inventors: Lees, John Ernest Wyper, Ott, Robert John, Fraser, George William
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOOSALIS, FANI POLYZOS
• Application Number:
  US10/433,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20040079890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 250/370.11, 250/370.09, 250/370.08, 250/332, 250/98.8, 250/98.12, 378/98.8, 378/98.12
• US Class Current: 250/370.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2006 using a combination of a scintillator and photodetector which measures the means radiation intensity

Abstract

There is disclosed a device for imaging radionuclide emissions comprising: a charge coupled device or CMOS active pixel sensor device; and a scintillator layer in direct contact with the charge coupled device or CMOS active pixel sensor device; in which the thickness of the scintillator layer is greater than 200 μm, preferably greater than 400 μm, most preferably about 500 μm.

Claims

1. A device for imaging radionuclide emissions comprising:

a charge coupled device or CMOS active pixel sensor device; and

a scintillator layer directly coated onto the charge coupled device or CMOS active pixel sensor device;

in which the thickness of the scintillator layer is greater than 200 μ

m.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the scintillator layer comprises a rare earth phosphor.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which the rare earth phosphor comprises Gd.

4. A device according to claim 3 in which the rare earth phosphor comprises Gd₂O₂S units.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which the rare earth phosphor is Gd₂O₂S(Tb).

6. A device according to claim 4 in which the rare earth phosphor is Gd₂O₂S(Pr, Ce,F).

7. A device according to claim 1 in which the scintillator layer comprises CsI.

8. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a collimator.

9. A device according to claim 8 in which the collimator comprises a coded aperture mask.

10. A device according to claim 1 further comprising means for operating the device in photon counting mode.

11. A device according to claim 1, in which the thickness of the scintillator layer is greater than 400 μ

m.

12. A device according to claim 11 in which the scintillator layer comprises a rare earth phosphor.

13. A device according to claim 11 in which the scintillator layer comprises CsI.

14. A device according to claim 1, in which the thickness of the scintillator layer is about 500 μ

m.

15. A device according to claim 14 in which the scintillator layer comprises a rare earth phosphor.

16. A device according to claim 14 in which the scintillator layer comprises CsI.

17. An apparatus for imaging radionuclide emissions from a source, the apparatus comprising:

a solid state pixel sensor device;

a scintillator directly coated onto the pixel sensor device;

a signal processing circuit coupled to receive an output from the pixel sensor device, which signal processing circuit is configurable to operate in a photon counting mode; and

in which the thickness of the scintillator is greater than 200 μ

m.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the solid state pixel sensor device comprises a charge coupled device or a CMOS active pixel sensor device.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the signal processing circuit is configurable to operate in a photon counting mode by setting a read rate for the pixel sensor device less than a predetermined value.

20. An apparatus as claim in claim 19, wherein the predetermined value does not exceed 1 second.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the scintillator is at least 400 microns thick.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 further comprising cooling means for cooling the active pixel sensor.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 further comprising a coded aperture mask.

24. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the scintillator is about 500 μ

m thick.