Multi-layer radiation detector assembly

• US 7,956,332 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Burr, Kent Charles, Shiang, Joseph John, Couture, Aaron Judy
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bryant; Casey
• Application Number:
  US12/260,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 25037001-371, 257/432, 257/438, 257/186, 257/442, 378/5, 378/19, 378/62
• US Class Current: 250/370.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/20 with scintillation detectors

Abstract

A technique is provided for forming a multi-layer radiation detector. The technique includes a charge-integrating photodetector layer provided in conjunction with a photon-counting photodetector layer. In one embodiment, a plurality of photon-counting photosensor elements are disposed adjacent to a plurality of charge-integrating photosensor elements of the respective layers. Both sets of elements are connected to readout circuitry and a data acquisition system. The detector arrangement may be used for energy discriminating computed tomography imaging and similar computed tomography systems.

Claims

1. A radiation detector comprising:

a charge integrating photodetector layer;

a photon counting photodetector layer disposed beneath the charge integrating photodetector layer; and

a scintillator disposed on a side of the charge integrating photodetector layer opposite to the photon counting photodetector layer and configured to receive radiation and to convert the radiation to lower energy photons suitable for detection by the charge integrating photodetector layer and the photon counting photodetector layer,

wherein the charge integrating photodetector layer is substantially disposed over inactive areas or around the photon counting photodetector layer, and not over at least a portion of active areas of the photon counting photodetector layer.

2. The radiation detector of claim 1, wherein the photon counting photodetector layer comprises a solid state photomultiplier layer.

3. The radiation detector of claim 1, wherein the charge integrating photodetector layer comprises an organic photodiode array, wherein the organic photodiode array comprises one or more organic materials and a pair of electrodes.

4. The radiation detector of claim 1, wherein the charge integrating photodetector layer comprises a semi transparent organic photodiode array.

5. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the electrodes are comprised of metal, metal oxide, and metal alloy.

6. The radiation detector of claim 5, where the electrodes are comprised of silver, gold, aluminum, and compositions thereof.

7. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the electrodes are comprised of a metal oxide.

8. The radiation detector of claim 7, wherein the electrodes are comprised of zinc, tin, indium and compositions thereof.

9. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the organic materials are blended together in a single layer.

10. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the organic materials form two or more organic layers that are stacked together.

11. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein at least one of the organic materials is an inorganic nanocrystal.

12. The radiation detector of claim 11, wherein the inorganic nanocrystal is comprised of cadimium, selenium, tellurium, and compositions thereof.

13. The radiation detector of claim 11, wherein the inorganic nanocrystal is comprised of multiple high aspect ratio rods connected to a common core.

14. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein at least one of the organic materials is a derivatized fullerene.

15. The radiation detector of claim 14, wherein the derivatized fullerene is (6,6) phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM).

16. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein at least one of the organic materials contains a sulfur-carbon bond.

17. The radiation detector of claim 16, wherein the organic material is poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene):

poly(styrenesulfonate) (PDOT;

PSS).

18. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein one of the organic materials contains 2 or more fused aromatic rings.

19. The radiation detector of claim 18, wherein the organic material is 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic bisbenzimidazole.

20. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the organic material is conjugated polymer.

21. The radiation detector of claim 20, where the conjugated polymer is poly( 2-methoxy-5-(3′

,7′

dimethyloctyloxy) 1,4, phenylene-vinylene.

22. The radiation detector of claim 3, wherein the organic material is an organo-metallic compound.

23. The radiation detector of claim 22, wherein the organo-metallic compound is copper phthalocyanine.

24. The radiation detector of claim 1, wherein the charge integrating photodetector layer and the photon counting photodetector layer is disposed on a single semiconductor wafer.

25. The radiation detector of claim 1, wherein charge integrating photodetector layer is comprised of charge integrating photosensor elements and the photon counting photodetector layer is comprised of photon counting photosensor elements, and wherein the radiation detector is configured to provide a plurality of electrical signals based upon signals acquired from the charge integrating photosensor elements and the photon counting photosensor elements.