Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) is the imaging of radiolabeled drugs, cells, or nanoparticles for breast cancer detection,
diagnosis, and treatment. Screening of broad populations of women for breast cancer with mammography has been
augmented by the emergence of breast MRI in screening of women at high risk for breast cancer. Screening MBI may
benefit the sub-population of women with dense breast tissue that obscures small tumors in mammography. Dedicated
breast imaging equipment is necessary to enable detection of early-stage tumors less than 1 cm in size. Recent progress
in the development of these instruments is reviewed. Pixellated CZT for single photon MBI imaging of 99mTc-sestamibi
gives high detection sensitivity for early-stage tumors. The use of registered collimators in a near-field geometry gives
significantly higher detection efficiency - a factor of 3.6-, which translates into an equivalent dose reduction factor
given the same acquisition time. The radiation dose in the current MBI procedure has been reduced to the level of a
four-view digital mammography study. In addition to screening of selected sub-populations, reduced MBI dose allows
for dual-isotope, treatment planning, and repeated therapy assessment studies in the era of molecular medicine guided by
quantitative molecular imaging.
Radiolabeled cells have been imaged for decades in the field of autoradiography. Recent advances in detector and
microelectronics technologies have enabled the new field of "digital autoradiography" which remains limited to ex vivo
specimens of thin tissue slices. The 3D field-of-view (FOV) of single cell imaging can be extended to millimeters if the
low energy (10-30 keV) photon emissions of radionuclides are used for single-photon nuclear imaging. This new
microscope uses a coded aperture foil made of highly attenuating elements such as gold or platinum to form the image as
a kind of "lens". The detectors used for single-photon emission microscopy are typically silicon detectors with a pixel
pitch less than 60 μm. The goal of this work is to image radiolabeled mesenchymal stem cells in vivo in an animal
model of tendon repair processes. Single-photon nuclear imaging is an attractive modality for translational medicine
since the labeled cells can be imaged simultaneously with the reparative processes by using the dual-isotope imaging
technique. The details our microscope's two-layer gold aperture and the operation of the energy-dispersive, pixellated
silicon detector are presented along with the first demonstration of energy discrimination with a 57Co source. Cell
labeling techniques have been augmented by genetic engineering with the sodium-iodide symporter, a type of reporter
gene imaging method that enables in vivo uptake of free 99mTc or an iodine isotope at a time point days or weeks after
the insertion of the genetically modified stem cells into the animal model. This microscopy work in animal research
may expand to the imaging of reporter-enabled stem cells simultaneously with the expected biological repair process in
human clinical trials of stem cell therapies.
The need to understand the behavior of individual stem cells at the various stages of their differentiation and to assess
the resulting reparative action in pre-clinical model systems, which typically involves laboratory animals, provides the
motivation for imaging of stem cells in vivo at high resolution. Our initial focus is to image cells and cellular events at
single cell resolution in vivo in shallow tissues (few mm of intervening tissue) in laboratory mice and rates. In order to
accomplish this goal we are building a SPECT-based microscope. We based our design on earlier theoretical work with
near-field coded apertures and have adjusted the components of the system to meet the real-world demands of instrument
construction and of animal imaging. Our instrumental design possesses a reasonable trade-off between field-of-view,
sensitivity, and contrast performance (photon penetration). A layered gold aperture containing 100 pinholes and
intended for use in coded aperture imaging application has been designed and constructed. A silicon detector connected
to a TimePix readout from the CERN collaborative group was selected for use in our prototype microscope because of
its ultra-high spatial and energy resolution capabilities. The combination of the source, aperture, and detector has been
modeled and the coded aperture reconstruction of simulated sources is presented in this work.
We describe a continuing design and development of MR-compatible SPECT systems for simultaneous SPECT-MR
imaging of small animals. A first generation prototype SPECT system was designed and constructed to fit inside a MRI
system with a gradient bore inner diameter of 12 cm. It consists of 3 angularly offset rings of 8 detectors (1"x1", 16x16
pixels MR-compatible solid-state CZT). A matching 24-pinhole collimator sleeve, made of a tungsten-compound,
provides projections from a common FOV of ~25 mm. A birdcage RF coil for MRI data acquisition surrounds the
collimator. The SPECT system was tested inside a clinical 3T MRI system. Minimal interference was observed on the
simultaneously acquired SPECT and MR images. We developed a sparse-view image reconstruction method based on
accurate modeling of the point response function (PRF) of each of the 24 pinholes to provide artifact-free SPECT
images. The stationary SPECT system provides relatively low resolution of 3-5 mm but high geometric efficiency of 0.5-
1.2% for fast dynamic acquisition, demonstrated in a SPECT renal kinetics study using Tc-99m DTPA. Based on these
results, a second generation prototype MR-compatible SPECT system with an outer diameter of 20 cm that fits inside a
mid-sized preclinical MRI system is being developed. It consists of 5 rings of 19 CZT detectors. The larger ring diameter
allows the use of optimized multi-pinhole collimator designs, such as high system resolution up to ~1 mm, high
geometric efficiency, or lower system resolution without collimator rotation. The anticipated performance of the new
system is supported by simulation data.
The objective of the study was to demonstrate that more than two types of materials can be effectively separated with x-ray
CT using a recently developed energy resolved photon-counting detector. We performed simulations and physical
experiments using an energy resolved photon-counting detector with six energy thresholds. For comparison, dual-kVp
CT with an integrating detector was also simulated. Iodine- and gadolinium-based contrast agents, as well as several
soft-tissue- and bone-like materials were imaged. We plotted the attenuation coefficients for the various materials in a
scatter plot for pairs of energy windows. In both simulations and physical experiments, the contrast agents were easily
separable from other non-contrast-agent materials in the scatter plot between two properly chosen energy windows. This
separation was due to discontinuities in the attenuation coefficient around their unique K-edges. The availability of more
than two energy thresholds in a photon-counting detector allowed the separation with one or more contrast agents
present. Compared with dual-kVp methods, CT with an energy resolved photon-counting detector provided a larger
separation and the freedom to use different energy window pairs to specify the desired target material. We concluded
that an energy resolved photon-counting detector with more than two thresholds allowed the separation of more than two
types of materials, e.g., soft-tissue-like, bone-like, and one or more materials with K-edges in the energy range of
interest. They provided advantages over dual-kVp CT in terms of the degree of separation and the number of materials
that can be separated simultaneously.
The overall aim of this work was to evaluate the potential for improving in vivo small animal microCT through the use of
an energy resolved photon-counting detector. To this end, we developed and evaluated a prototype microCT system
based on a second-generation photon-counting x-ray detector which simultaneously counted photons with energies above
six energy thresholds. First, we developed a threshold tuning procedure to reduce the dependence of detector uniformity
and to reduce ring artifacts. Next, we evaluated the system in terms of the contrast-to-noise ratio in different energy
windows for different target materials. These differences provided the possibility to weight the data acquired in different
windows in order to optimize the contrast-to-noise ratio. We also explored the ability of the system to use data from
different energy windows to aid in distinguishing various materials. We found that the energy discrimination capability
provided the possibility for improved contrast-to-noise ratios and allowed separation of more than two materials, e.g.,
bone, soft-tissue and one or more contrast materials having K-absorption edges in the energy ranges of interest.
The goal of the study was to investigate data acquisition strategies and image reconstruction methods for a stationary SPECT insert that can operate inside an MRI scanner with a 12 cm bore diameter for simultaneous SPECT/MRI imaging of small animals. The SPECT insert consists of 3 octagonal rings of 8 MR-compatible CZT detectors per ring surrounding a multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator sleeve. Each pinhole is constructed to project the field-of-view (FOV) to one CZT detector. All 24 pinholes are focused to a cylindrical FOV of 25 mm in diameter and 34 mm in length. The data acquisition strategies we evaluated were optional collimator rotations to improve tomographic sampling; and the image reconstruction methods were iterative
ML-EM with and without compensation for the geometric response function (GRF) of the MPH collimator.
For this purpose, we developed an analytic simulator that calculates the system matrix with the GRF models
of the MPH collimator. The simulator was used to generate projection data of a digital rod phantom with
pinhole aperture sizes of 1 mm and 2 mm and with different collimator rotation patterns. Iterative ML-EM
reconstruction with and without GRF compensation were used to reconstruct the projection data from the
central ring of 8 detectors only, and from all 24 detectors. Our results indicated that without GRF compensation
and at the default design of 24 projection views, the reconstructed images had significant artifacts. Accurate
GRF compensation substantially improved the reconstructed image resolution and reduced image artifacts. With accurate GRF compensation, useful reconstructed images can be obtained using 24 projection views only. This last finding potentially enables dynamic SPECT (and/or MRI) studies in small animals, one of many possible application areas of the SPECT/MRI system. Further research efforts are warranted including experimentally measuring the system matrix for improved geometrical accuracy, incorporating the co-registered MRI image in SPECT reconstruction, and exploring potential applications of the simultaneous SPECT/MRI SA system including dynamic SPECT studies.
This work aims at discriminating between soft and calcified coronary artery plaques using microCT with a multi-energywindow
photon counting X-ray detector (PCXD). We have previously investigated a solid state X-ray detector which has
the capability to count individual photons in different energy windows. The data from these energy windows may be
treated as multiple simultaneous X-ray acquisitions within non-overlapping energy windows that can provide additional
information about tissue differences. In this work, we simulated a photon counting detector with five energy windows.
We investigated two approaches for using the energy information provided by this detector. First, we applied energy
weighting to the reconstruction from different energy windows to improve the signal-to-noise ratio between calcified and
soft plaques. This resulted in a significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. Second, we applied the basis
material decomposition method to discriminate coronary artery plaques based on their calcium content. The results were
compared with those obtained using dual-kVp material decomposition. We observed significantly improved contrast-tonoise
ratios for the PCXD-based approaches.
Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe, or CZT) is a room-temperature semiconductor radiation detector that has been
developed in recent years for a variety of applications. CZT has been investigated for many potential uses in medical
imaging, especially in the field of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). CZT can also be used in
positron emission tomography (PET) as well as photon-counting and integration-mode x-ray radiography and computed
tomography (CT). The principal advantages of CZT are 1) direct conversion of x-ray or gamma-ray energy into
electron-hole pairs; 2) energy resolution; 3) high spatial resolution and hence high space-bandwidth product; 4) room
temperature operation, stable performance, high density, and small volume; 5) depth-of-interaction (DOI) available
through signal processing. These advantages will be described in detail with examples from our own CZT systems. The
ability to operate at room temperature, combined with DOI and very small pixels, make the use of multiple, stationary
CZT "mini-gamma cameras" a realistic alternative to today's large Anger-type cameras that require motion to obtain
tomographic sampling. The compatibility of CZT with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-fields is demonstrated for
a new type of multi-modality medical imaging, namely SPECT/MRI. For pre-clinical (i.e., laboratory animal) imaging,
the advantages of CZT lie in spatial and energy resolution, small volume, automated quality control, and the potential for
DOI for parallax removal in pinhole imaging. For clinical imaging, the imaging of radiographically dense breasts with
CZT enables scatter rejection and hence improved contrast. Examples of clinical breast images with a dual-head CZT
system are shown.
In this work we used a novel CdTe photon counting x-ray detector capable of very high count rates to perform x-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT). The detector had 2 rows of 384 square pixels each 1 mm in size. Charge signals from individual photons were integrated with a shaping time of ~60 ns and processed by an ASIC located in close proximity to the pixels. The ASIC had 5 energy thresholds with associated independent counters for each pixel. Due to the thresholding, it is possible to eliminate dark-current contributions to image noise. By subtracting counter outputs from adjacent thresholds, it is possible to obtain the number of x-ray photon counts in 5 adjacent energy windows. The detector is capable of readout times faster than 5 ms. A prototype bench-top specimen μCT scanner was assembled having distances from the tube to the object and detector of 11 cm and 82 cm, respectively. We used a conventional x-ray source to produce 80 kVp x-ray beams with tube currents up to 400 μA resulting in count rates on the order of 600 kcps per pixel at the detector. Both phantoms and a dead mouse were imaged using acquisition times of 1.8 s per view at 1° steps around the object. The count rate loss (CRL) characteristics of the detector were measured by varying the tube current and corrected for using a paralyzable model. Images were reconstructed using analytical fan-beam reconstruction. The reconstructed images showed good contrast and noise characteristics and those obtained from different energy windows demonstrated energy-dependent contrast, thus potentially allowing for material decomposition.
Cardiac function is an important physiological parameter in preclinical studies. Nuclear cardiac scans are a standard of care for patients with suspected coronary artery occlusions and can assess perfusion and other physiological functions via the injection of radiotracers. In addition, correlated acquisition of nuclear images with electrocardiogram (ECG) signals can provide myocardial dynamics, which can be used to assess the wall motion of the heart. We have implemented this nuclear cardiology technique into a microSPECT/CT system, which provides sub-millimeter resolution in SPECT and co-registered high resolution CT anatomical maps. Radionuclide detection is synchronized with the R-wave of the cardiac cycle and separated into 16 time bins using an ECG monitor and triggering device for gating. Images were acquired with a 12.5 x 12.5 cm2 small field of view pixilated NaI(Tl) detector, using a pinhole collimator. In this pilot study, rats (N = 5) were injected with 99mTc-Sestamibi, a tracer of myocardium, and anesthetized for imaging. Reconstructed 4-D images (3D plus timing) were computed using an Ordered Subset Expectation Maximization (OSEM) algorithm. The measured perfusion, wall motion, and ejection fractions for the rats matched well with results reported by other researchers using alternative methods. This capability will provide a new and powerful tool to preclinical researchers for assessing cardiac function.
Space-based gamma-ray spectrometers utilize active anticoincidence shielding to reduce the background caused by charged-particle interactions. Shielding improves the performance of gamma-ray spectrometers by reducing the effect of charged particle interactions which can not be distinguished from true gamma-ray interactions by the spectrometer. Active shields produce a blanking signal when a charged particle is detected, so that the signal from the spectrometer can be ignored during the spectrometer's charged-particle interaction. Anticoincidence shielding for space-born gamma-ray detectors requires a cylindrical-shell geometry and charged-particle sensitivity. To reduce the size, weight, and cost of the shielding we utilize a new direct-conversion charged-particle detector material, polycrystalline mercuric iodide. We present the results from planar film growth techniques for the particle-counting detection capabilities necessary for anti-coincidence shielding. We also show that films with similar detection properties were grown on curved substrates with the size and curvature needed to surround space-based spectrometer main detectors.
VortexTM, a high performance Silicon Multi-Cathode Detector (SMCD), has been developed and extensively tested for potential X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) applications. As a type of Silicon Drift Detector (SEE), it utilizes our patented structure design and has achieved very low capacitance and very low leakage current with a relatively large active area (~50 mm2). Results will be presented to demonstrate its superior performance over the conventional cryogenic Si(Li) detectors, especially in the resolution and throughput at short peaking times. The detector operates at near room temperature and is thus very compact in size. These features make it idea for XRD and XRF applications.
We are developing a bench-top animal scanner that will acquire both functional SPECT images and anatomical CT images with sub-millimeter spatial resolution for both imaging modalities. This paper presents preliminary results from the evaluation of two x-ray detectors for the CT application, and dual SPECT-CT images using one of these detectors. Two phosphor-CMOS x-ray detectors, one with 48 m pixels and 5 cm x 5 cm area and the other with 50 μm pixels and 12 cm x 12 cm area, were evaluated for linearity and dynamic range. Each detector showed linearity over ~ 3 orders of magnitude, which is sufficient for mouse CT imaging. The smaller detector was mounted to an A-SPECT system, along with a custom 50 W x-ray source with focal spot size of ~ 150 μm. Phantoms and mice were scanned sequentially, SPECT followed by CT, and the resulting reconstructed images fused into a single SPECT-CT image. These preliminary results show that the two detectors evaluated for this application can successfully achieve high contrast CT images of mice and similar sized objects.
A high resolution, hand-held gamma camera has been constructed for use in pre-surgical and intra-operative lymphoscintigraphy. In this paper, we evaluate a compact gamma camera system utilizing NaI(Tl) as a more likely candidate for scintillator due to its greater light yield and faster decay time than CsI(Na) used in an earlier prototype. Using NaI(Tl), the system mean energy resolution is 13% FWHM at 122keV, as compared to 28% in the system with CsI(Na). The highly compact detector head has a 2-cm by 2-cm field of view (FOV) and 1.25-mm intrinsic spatial resolution. Sensitivity of the NaI(Tl) camera was compared with the CsI(Na) camera. At 1cm distance from the tip of collimator, pinhole sensitivity was 58 cps/μCi for the Na(Tl) camera and 37 cps/μCi for the CsI(Na) camera.
Jan Iwanczyk, Bradley Patt, Carolyn Tull, Lawrence MacDonald, Nathan Skinner, Edward Hoffman, Laura Fornaro, Luis Mussio, Edgardo Saucedo, Alvaro Gancharov
Mercuric iodide (HgI2) polycrystalline films are being developed as a new detector technology for digital x-ray imaging. Films have been grown with areas up to 80 cm2 (4' diameter) and thickness of 20-250 micrometers using sublimation. The growth techniques used can be easily extended to produce much larger film areas (>10'x10'). Thickness of the grown layers and size of the grains can be regulated over a wide range by adjusting the growth parameters. The films were characterized with respect to their electrical properties and in response to ionizing radiation. Leakage current as low as 40 pA/cm2 at the operating bias voltage of ~50 V has been observed. High sensitivity and excellent linearity in the response to x-rays was measured. Signals from these HgI2 polycrystalline detectors, in response to ionizing radiation, compare favorably to the best published results for all high Z polycrystalline films grown elsewhere, including TlBr, PbI2 and HgI2. The low dark current, good sensitivity, and linearity of the response to x-rays put HgI2 polycrystalline semiconductor detectors in position as a leading candidate material for use in digital x-ray imaging systems. Our future efforts will concentrate on optimization of film growth techniques specifically for deposition on a-Si:H flat panel readout arrays.
The performance of solid-state photodetectors is limited by noise due to their capacitance and leakage current. A new type of photodetector is being investigated, which contains a micro-avalanche multiplication gain stage incorporated into the small anode structure of a silicon drift photodetector (SDP). This technology is expected to result in improved performance over large area avalanche photodiodes (APD's) because of the very small region of multiplication in the new A+SDP versus multiplication over the entire active area for APD's. APD reliability has generally deteriorated as a function of the size of the devices being manufactured. The A+SDP will be markedly better than PIN diodes because of both the low capacitance and the avalanche multiplication. The device also promises to be better than standard large area Silicon Drift Photodetectors (SDP's) by mitigating the remaining noise due to the leakage current that dominates the performance of these devices at room temperature. Large area SDP's require cooling to well below 0 degree(s)C to obtain satisfactory leakage current-related noise. Physical device simulation tools were used to model the dopant concentrations, E-field magnitude and potential distributions. A+SDP's could have practical application in scintillation detectors for gamma ray spectroscopy as well as PMT replacements in nuclear medicine.
Bradley Patt, Jan Iwanczyk, Lawrence MacDonald, Yuko Yamaguchi, Carolyn Tull, Martin Janecek, Edward Hoffman, H. William Strauss, Ross Tsugita, Vartan Ghazarossian
Coronary angiography is unable to define the status of the atheroma, and only measures the luminal dimensions of the blood vessel, without providing information about plaque content. Up to 70% of heart attacks are caused by minimally obstructive vulnerable plaques, which are too small to be detected adequately by angiography. We have developed an intravascular imaging detector to identify vulnerable coronary artery plaques. The detector works by sensing beta or conversion electron radiotracer emissions from plaque-binding radiotracers. The device overcomes the technical constraints of size, sensitivity and conformance to the intravascular environment. The detector at the distal end of the catheter uses six 7mm long by 0.5mm diameter scintillation fibers coupled to 1.5m long plastic fibers. The fibers are offset from each other longitudinally by 6mm and arranged spirally around a guide wire in the catheter. At the proximal end of the catheter the optical fibers are coupled to an interface box with a snap on connector. The interface box contains a position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) to decode the individual fibers. The whole detector assembly fits into an 8-French (2.7 mm in diameter) catheter. The PSPMT image is further decoded with software to give a linear image, the total instantaneous count rate and an audio output whose tone corresponds to the count rate. The device was tested with F-18 and Tl-204 sources. Spectrometric response, spatial resolution, sensitivity and beta to background ratio were measured. System resolution is 6 mm and the sensitivity is >500 cps / micrometers Ci when the source is 1 mm from the detector. The beta to background ratio was 11.2 for F-18 measured on a single fiber. The current device will lead to a system allowing imaging of labeled vulnerable plaque in coronary arteries. This type of signature is expected to enable targeted and cost effective therapies to prevent acute coronary artery diseases such as: unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Germanium, Spectroscopy, Gamma radiation, Plutonium, Spectrometers, Crystals, Temperature metrology, Electrons, Electric field sensors
A new class of hand-held, portable spectrometers based on large area (1cm2) CdTe detectors of thickness up to 3mm has been demonstrated to produce energy resolution of between 0.3 and 0.5% FWHM at 662 keV. The system uses a charge loss correction circuit for improved efficiency, and detector temperature stabilization to ensure consistent operation of the detector during field measurements over a wide range of ambient temperature. The system can operate continuously for up to 8hrs on rechargeable batteries. The signal output from the charge loss corrector is compatible with most analog and digital spectroscopy amplifiers and multi channel analyzers. Using a detector measuring 11.2 by 9.1 by 2.13 mm3, we have recently been able to obtain the first wide-range plutonium gamma-ray isotopic analysis with other than a cryogenically cooled germanium spectrometer. The CdTe spectrometer is capable of measuring small plutonium reference samples in about one hour, covering the range from low to high burnup. The isotopic analysis software used to obtain these results was FRAM Version 4 from LANL. The new spectrometer is expected to be useful for low-grade assay, as well as for some in-situ plutonium gamma-ray isotopics in lieu of cryogenically cooled Ge.
As part of the development of dedicated scintillation cameras, we compared the performances of 2 dedicated cameras with a standard clinical camera. The dedicated cameras were based on Position Sensitive Photo multipliers (PSPMTs): first, a single PSPMT coupled to a 6 by 6 by 0.6 cm NaI(Tl) crystal and second, multiple-PSPMTs coupled to a matrix of 2 by 2 by 6 mm NaI(Tl) crystal with hexagonal hole collimator. Image resolution was measured with all cameras as a function of depth. The ability of the cameras to measure small superficial tumors was tested with a phantom consisting of 6 hot cylindrical tumors of height 3 mm and varying diameters against a warm background of 4,1 cm cylinders. Tumors were stepped through the background and imaged at each level, starting at the collimator face, using a tumor to background activity concentration ratio of 10:1 and adjusting the imaging time for each to compensate for decay. Images were made of an anthropomorphic human thorax phantom with simulated breast lesions and detectability between the multi-PSPMT camera and the clinical camera was compared. The improve performance of dedicated cameras in specific tasks suggests that these devices will have a role in scintimammography and assisting in O.R. procedures such as sentinel node dissection and other shallow depth of field applications.
A high resolution, hand-held scintillation camera has been designed and built for specific Nuclear Medicine applications. Primary intended applications are pre-surgical and intra-operative lymphoscintigraphy. The detector head is highly compact with a 1-inch by 1-inch physical field of view. A variety of easily interchangeable collimators including parallel hole, diverging hole, and pinhole allow several choices of image parameters including variable spatial resolution, sensitivity and field of view. The camera can be operated in imaging mode or as a probe in a non-imaging mode. Surgeons performing sentinel node surgeries have the option of using the device asa standard audio-guided counting probe or as an imaging device to improve surgical management. The 20 mm FOV camera has 1 mm intrinsic spatial resolution. System FWHM in air is 2.1 mm and 2.6 mm at 0 cm from a high-resolution parallel hole collimator, respectively. FWHM of 3.8 mm is measured 2 cm from a 3 mm pinhole. Pinhole sensitivity is 600 cps/MBq above a 125 cps/MBq background for a 1 cm lesion 1 cm below a water surface. Nodes are identified in images even when overall count rate is not above the background from a nearby injection site.
The sol-gel process was used in the fabrication of new polycrystalline silicate scintillators. Lutetium orthosilicate (LSO) is one of the most promising scintillators discovered in almost five decades, with a unique combination of important properties for X and (gamma) -ray spectroscopy, namely high density, fast decay, and large light yield. However, the practical utilization of LSO as a single crystal is hindered by difficulties related to high temperature crystal growth by the Czochralski method. In the new approach presented here, Ce-doped lutetium silicate crystals are grown from a gel. The processing temperatures are much lower than that of conventional processes. The polycrystalline scintillators are characterized by XRD, TEM, DTA, light decay measurement and gamma-ray spectral response.
Large area silicon drift detectors (SDD) with areas up to approximately 1 cm2 have been fabricated for x-rays. Recent novel designs have produced very low dark current, high electric field, and hence low noise and good charge collection. The developed structures were evaluated with low noise input amplification electronic components on Peltier coolers so that the temperature could be adjusted. Energy resolution of 143 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV was measured with a 50 mm2 SDD whose corresponding noise level was 70 eV FWHM.
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