Plasma panel based ionizing radiation detector

• US 7,982,191 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Sensors, LLC
• Original Assignee: Integrated Sensors, LLC
• Inventors: Stoller, Ray A., Friedman, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Kiho
• Application Number:
  US12/724,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20100187431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 250/374
• US Class Current: 250/374
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 19/05 with chromium
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/18 with counting-tube arrangements, e.g. with Geiger counters tubes H01J47/08; with alarm provision G01T7/125
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/28 with secondary-emission detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2935 using ionisation detectors

Abstract

A radiation detector is formed from a plasma panel that includes a front substrate, and a back substrate that forms a generally parallel gap with the front substrate. X (column) and Y (row) electrodes are coupled by gas discharge events to define one or more pixels. Impedances are coupled to the X and Y electrodes, and a power supply is coupled to one or both types of electrodes. Discharge event detectors are coupled to the impedances.

Claims

1. An ionizing-radiation counting detector comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate generally parallel to said first substrate and forming a gap with said first substrate;

a gas contained within said gap;

at least one first electrode coupled to said second substrate;

at least one second electrode electrically coupled to said first electrode;

a first impedance coupled to said first electrode;

a power supply coupled to at least one of said electrodes;

a first discharge event detector coupled to at least one of said electrodes for detecting a gas discharge counting event in said electrode;

a plurality of pixels defined by said electrodes, each pixel capable of outputting a gas discharge counting event pulse upon interaction with ionizing-radiation, wherein each such gas discharge pulse is counted as having an approximately equal value; and

circuitry for detecting if a gas discharge counting event pulse is output from the pixels, and for counting each such gas discharge pulse as an individual event.

2. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 1, wherein said power supply is a DC supply.

3. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein said first electrode is an X-electrode and said second electrode is a Y-electrode.

4. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein said gas interacts with an incident ionizing-radiation to generate a gas discharge counting event.

5. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 4, wherein said incident ionizing-radiation is an ionizing photon.

6. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 4, wherein said incident ionizing-radiation is an ionizing particle.

7. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein at least one of said substrates constitutes a detector wall.

8. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said detector wall is electrically conductive.

9. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said detector wall is electrically insulative.

10. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said detector wall comprises a conversion layer.

11. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 10, wherein said conversion layer interacts with incident ionizing-radiation to generate the gas discharge counting event.

12. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 10, wherein said conversion layer interacts with incident neutrons to generate the gas discharge counting event.

13. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said detector wall interacts with said incident ionizing-radiation to generate the gas discharge counting event.

14. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said detector wall interacts with said incident ionizing-radiation to liberate a free-electron into the gas that generates a gas discharge counting event.

15. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said incident ionizing-radiation is an ionizing photon.

16. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 7, wherein said incident ionizing-radiation is an ionizing particle.

17. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein at least one of said substrates with a least one electrode coupled to said substrate comprises a detector wall.

18. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 17, wherein said detector wall interacts with said incident ionizing-radiation to generate the gas discharge counting event.

19. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, further comprising an internal barrier structure.

20. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, further comprising a conversion layer coupled to said first substrate wherein said conversion layer interacts with incident ionizing-radiation to generate the gas discharge counting event.

21. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 20, wherein said conversion layer interacts with incident neutrons to generate the gas discharge counting event.

22. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein said second electrode is coupled to said first substrate.

23. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 22, further comprising at least one impedance coupled in series with each of said pixels.

24. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein said second electrode is coupled to said second substrate.

25. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 24, wherein a gas discharge between said first and second electrodes is a surface discharge shape.

26. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 24, further comprising at least one impedance coupled in series with each of said pixels.

27. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 24, wherein at least one third electrode is physically coupled to said first substrate.

28. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 27, wherein the detector wall comprises said third electrode and said first substrate interacts with said incident ionizing-radiation to generate the gas discharge counting event.

29. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 2, wherein the detector forms a multi-layered detector through vertical stacking.

30. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 1, further comprising an optically coupled digital camera.

31. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 1, further comprising an optically coupled digital camera for detecting the light emission output from gas discharge counting events.

32. The ionizing-radiation counting detector of claim 1, further comprising an optically coupled collimator plate.

33. A method of detecting ionizing-radiation based on a counting of gas discharge pulse events comprising:

receiving ionizing-radiation at a first substrate of a plasma panel, said plasma panel having a second substrate with a gas contained within a gap between the first and second substrates;

creating at least one free-electron within the gas in response to the receiving ionizing-radiation;

causing a gas-discharge pulse counting event at a pixel site of an X-electrode and a Y-electrode within the plasma panel; and

counting a plurality of said events with pulse detection circuitry coupled to at least one of said electrodes wherein each of said individual events is counted as having approximately an equal value.