Abstract: A production method of a semiconductor element of a direct-converting x-ray detector is disclosed, wherein at least one intermediate layer is applied to a semiconductor layer and at least one contact layer is applied to an exposed intermediate layer by chemically currentless deposition of a contact material from a solution in each instance. The materials for the individual layers are selected such that the electrochemical potential of the materials of the at least one intermediate layer is greater than the electrochemical potential of at least one element of the semiconductor layer and the electrochemical potential of the contact material of the contract layer is greater than the electrochemical potential of the materials of the intermediate layers. Semiconductor elements produced in accordance with the method, an x-ray detector with semiconductor elements, an x-ray system with an x-ray detector and also a CT system with an x-ray detector are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the temperature stabilization of a direct-converting X-ray detector, including a detector surface having a semiconductor and being divided into a plurality of partial detector surfaces. During the irradiation of the detector surface, heat is generated in the semiconductor by electric power. Electric power generated in the semiconductor is kept constant for each partial detector surface at least during a heterogeneous and/or temporally variable irradiation of the detector surface by feeding-in power-adjusted additional radiation for each partial detector surface. A direct-converting X-ray detector is disclosed for the detection of X-rays. At least one control loop with at least one reference variable is embodied for the energy regulation of the additional radiation, which keeps the temperature in the semiconductor constant for each partial detector surface by keeping the electric power in the semiconductor constant by changing the energy of the additional radiation.

Abstract: A method is disclosed, in at least one embodiment, for producing a scintillator for a radiation detector, in which the scintillator is produced in layers by depositing a scintillator material using a PVD process. By using a PVD process, owing to lower process temperatures of less than 300° C., it is possible to produce scintillators with decay times of less than 1.1 ns over large surfaces. In this way, the prerequisites for quantitative and energy-selective detection of individual radiation quanta can be satisfied even with fluxes of more than 108 X-ray quanta/mm2*s. At least one embodiment of the invention also relates to a scintillator produced by such a method.

Abstract: A detector material for a detector is disclosed for use in CT systems, particularly in dual-energy CT systems, including a doped semiconductor. In at least one embodiment, the semiconductor is doped with a donator in a concentration, wherein the concentration of the donator corresponds to at least 50% of the maximum solubility thereof in the semiconductor material, and the donator produces flat imperfections having an excitation energy. The flat imperfections can be ionized and can provide additional freely moveable charge carriers. The freely moveable charge carriers can be captured by the spatially separated deep imperfections and thus reduce the number of the charged deep imperfections. In this way, pure time- and radiation-dependent effects, such as polarization, occur more often. The invention further more relates to the use of the detector material in a CT or dual-energy CT system for generating tomographic images of a test object.

Abstract: A detector element is disclosed, including a semiconducting converter element and a number of pixilated contacts arranged thereon. A radiation detector is also disclosed including such a detector element, along with a medical device having one or more such radiation detectors. Finally, a method for producing a detector element is disclosed, which includes forming pixelated contacts by way of a photolithographic process on the semiconducting converter element using a lithographic mask arranged on a converter element protective layer.

Abstract: An X-ray radiation detector is disclosed for detecting ionizing radiation, in particular for use in a CT system, with a multiplicity of detector elements. In at least one embodiment, each detector element includes a semiconductor used as detector material with an upper side facing the radiation and a lower side facing away from the radiation, at least two electrodes, wherein one electrode is formed on the upper side of the semiconductor by a metallization layer, and the sum of all detector elements forms a base, which has a base normal at each point. In at least one embodiment, the invention is distinguished by the fact that the upper side of the semiconductor has a surface structure with a surface normal at each point, wherein the surface normal at least in part subtends an angle to the base normal.

Abstract: At least one embodiment of the invention relates to an X-ray radiation detector, in particular for use in a CT system. In at least one embodiment, the X-ray radiation detector includes a semiconductor material used for detection, at least two ohmic contacts between the semiconductor material and a contact material, the semiconductor material and contact material each having a specific excitation energy of the charge carriers, with the excitation energy of the contact material corresponding to the excitation energy of the semiconductor material. At least one embodiment of the invention furthermore relates to a CT system in which an X-ray radiation detector is used, the X-ray radiation detector advantageously having at least two ideal ohmic contacts according to at least one embodiment of the invention.

Abstract: An X-ray detector includes a directly converting semiconductor layer for converting an incident radiation into electrical signals with a band gap energy characteristic of the semiconductor layer, and at least one light source for coupling light into the semiconductor layer, wherein the generated light, for the simulation of incident X-ray quanta, has an energy above the band gap energy of the semiconductor layer. One embodiment includes at least one evaluation unit for calculating an evaluation signal from the electrical signals generated when the light is coupled into the semiconductor layer, and at least one calibration unit for calibrating at least one pulse discriminator on the basis of the evaluation signal. This provides the prerequisites for a rapidly repeatable calibration of the X-ray detector taking into account of the present polarization state without using X-ray radiation. Another embodiment additionally relates to a calibration method for such an X-ray detector.

Abstract: A direct radiation converter is disclosed which includes a radiation detection material having an anode side and a cathode side in which the radiation detection material has a doping profile running in the anode-side to cathode-side direction. A radiation detector is further disclosed having such a direct radiation converter and having an anode array and a cathode array, and optionally having evaluation electronics for reading out a detector signal, as well as a medical apparatus having such a radiation detector. Also described is a method for producing a direct radiation converter which includes incorporating into a radiation detection material a doping profile running in the anode-side to cathode-side direction.

Abstract: A direct radiation converter is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the direct radiation converter is operated using a direct conversion element having a temperature of at least 38° C. and at most 55° C., and designed for detecting X-ray radiation.

Abstract: A detector module is disclosed including a plurality of directly converting detector submodules, each with a back contact, and a scattered radiation collimator spanning the detector submodules. For contacting the back contacts, a contacting unit is provided in at least one embodiment and designed so that a contact connection is established between the contacting unit and the counter-electrodes by way of assembly-related proximity of the scattered radiation collimator and the counter-electrodes.

Abstract: An X-ray detector includes a directly converting semiconductor layer for converting an incident radiation into electrical signals with a band gap energy characteristic of the semiconductor layer, and at least one light source for coupling light into the semiconductor layer, wherein the generated light, for the simulation of incident X-ray quanta, has an energy above the band gap energy of the semiconductor layer. In at least one embodiment, it includes at least one evaluation unit for calculating an evaluation signal from the electrical signals generated when the light is coupled into the semiconductor layer, and at least one calibration unit for calibrating at least one pulse discriminator on the basis of the evaluation signal. This provides the prerequisites for a rapidly repeatable calibration of the X-ray detector taking account of the present polarization state without using X-ray radiation. At least one embodiment of the invention additionally relates to a calibration method for such an X-ray detector.

Abstract: A method is disclosed, in at least one embodiment, for producing a scintillator for a radiation detector, in which the scintillator is produced in layers by depositing a scintillator material using a PVD process. By using a PVD process, owing to lower process temperatures of less than 300° C., it is possible to produce scintillators with decay times of less than 1.1 ns over large surfaces. In this way, the prerequisites for quantitative and energy-selective detection of individual radiation quanta can be satisfied even with fluxes of more than 108 X-ray quanta/mm2*s. At least one embodiment of the invention also relates to a scintillator produced by such a method.

Abstract: A detector material for a detector is disclosed for use in CT systems, particularly in dual-energy CT systems, including a doped semiconductor. In at least one embodiment, the semiconductor is doped with a donator in a concentration, wherein the concentration of the donator corresponds to at least 50% of the maximum solubility thereof in the semiconductor material, and the donator produces flat imperfections having an excitation energy. The flat imperfections can be ionized and can provide additional freely moveable charge carriers. The freely moveable charge carriers can be captured by the spatially separated deep imperfections and thus reduce the number of the charged deep imperfections. In this way, pure time- and radiation-dependent effects, such as polarization, occur more often. The invention further more relates to the use of the detector material in a CT or dual-energy CT system for generating tomographic images of a test object.

Abstract: A radiation converter material includes a semiconductor material used for directly converting radiation quanta into electrical charge carriers. In at least one embodiment, the semiconductor material includes a dopant in a dopant concentration and defect sites produced in a process-dictated manner in such a way that the semiconductor material includes an ohmic resistivity in a range of between 5·107 ?·cm and 2·109 ?·cm. Such a radiation converter material is particularly well matched to the requirements in particular in human-medical applications with regard to the high flux rate present and the spectral distribution of the radiation quanta. In at least one embodiment, the invention additionally relates to a radiation converter and a radiation detector, and a use of and a method for producing such a radiation converter material.

Abstract: An X-ray radiation detector is disclosed for detecting ionizing radiation, in particular for use in a CT system, with a multiplicity of detector elements. In at least one embodiment, each detector element includes a semiconductor used as detector material with an upper side facing the radiation and a lower side facing away from the radiation, at least two electrodes, wherein one electrode is formed on the upper side of the semiconductor by a metallization layer, and the sum of all detector elements forms a base, which has a base normal at each point. In at least one embodiment, the invention is distinguished by the fact that the upper side of the semiconductor has a surface structure with a surface normal at each point, wherein the surface normal at least in part subtends an angle to the base normal.

Abstract: At least one embodiment of the invention relates to an X-ray radiation detector, in particular for use in a CT system. In at least one embodiment, the X-ray radiation detector includes a semiconductor material used for detection, at least two ohmic contacts between the semiconductor material and a contact material, the semiconductor material and contact material each having a specific excitation energy of the charge carriers, with the excitation energy of the contact material corresponding to the excitation energy of the semiconductor material. At least one embodiment of the invention furthermore relates to a CT system in which an X-ray radiation detector is used, the X-ray radiation detector advantageously having at least two ideal ohmic contacts according to at least one embodiment of the invention.

Abstract: A direct radiation converter is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the direct radiation converter is operated using a direct conversion element having a temperature of at least 38° C. and at most 55° C., and designed for detecting X-ray radiation.

Abstract: An X-ray detector is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the X-ray detector includes a detector housing including a plurality of detector modules that extend into an interior space of the detector housing, the detector housing being designed to feed a coolant into the interior space. In order to cool the detector modules, in at least one embodiment the latter are respectively arranged on a hollow module carrier forming a cooling channel, it being possible for coolant to flow through the cooling channel during operation.

Abstract: A detector module is disclosed including a plurality of directly converting detector submodules, each with a back contact, and a scattered radiation collimator spanning the detector submodules. For contacting the back contacts, a contacting unit is provided in at least one embodiment and designed so that a contact connection is established between the contacting unit and the counter-electrodes by way of assembly-related proximity of the scattered radiation collimator and the counter-electrodes.