Abstract: A ?-ray scanner includes a Solid-State Single-Photon Detector (“SSSPD”) and a ?-ray source, which may be a radioisotope such as Americium oxide (Am-241) that may not require certification since it has a low intensity that is safe even over extended periods of exposure to a human body. The ?-ray scanner may be used for monitoring a fixed object such as a pipe and includes an imaging assembly having a stationary annular gantry surrounding the pipe and an armature that fixedly supports the ?-source and the detector in mutual opposed alignment, so that they are constrained to move together. The armature rides around an inside periphery of the gantry, while the armature or the gantry moves laterally in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the armature so as to move the ?-ray beam around and along the pipe.

Abstract: A ?-ray scanner includes a Solid-State Single-Photon Detector (“SSSPD”) and a ?-ray source, which may be a radioisotope such as Americium oxide (Am-241) that may not require certification since it has a low intensity that is safe even over extended periods of exposure to a human body. The ?-ray scanner may be used for monitoring a fixed object such as a pipe and includes an imaging assembly having a stationary annular gantry surrounding the pipe and an armature that fixedly supports the ?-source and the detector in mutual opposed alignment, so that they are constrained to move together. The armature rides around an inside periphery of the gantry, while the armature or the gantry moves laterally in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the armature so as to move the ?-ray beam around and along the pipe.

Abstract: A detector has a 2-dimensional matrix of pixels that includes at least one group wherein there is coupled to each pixel in the group a respective electronic circuit being responsive to a discrete photon striking the pixel for generating and storing a corresponding analog pixel level signal fed to a processing circuit via a common analog databus common. A common signaling line informs the respective electronic circuit that the databus is available, and a respective logic circuit coupled to all of the electronic circuits in the group and responsive to the signaling line being available and to the signal level of any pixel in the group being commensurate with the pixel having been hit by a photon, passes the analog pixel level on to the databus and flags the signaling line as busy so that the other pixels in the group are notified that the databus is busy.

Abstract: A detector has a 2-dimensional matrix of pixels that includes at least one group wherein there is coupled to each pixel in the group a respective electronic circuit being responsive to a discrete photon striking the pixel for generating and storing a corresponding analog pixel level signal fed to a processing circuit via a common analog databus common. A common signaling line informs the respective electronic circuit that the databus is available, and a respective logic circuit coupled to all of the electronic circuits in the group and responsive to the signaling line being available and to the signal level of any pixel in the group being commensurate with the pixel having been hit by a photon, passes the analog pixel level on to the databus and flags the signaling line as busy so that the other pixels in the group are notified that the databus is busy.

Abstract: A two dimensional radiation detector array includes a plurality of detector cards, each of the detector cards including: a plurality of radiation detectors arranged in a linear array; and a plurality of amplifiers, each of the amplifiers being electrically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of radiation detectors; and a separator between first and second detector cards of the plurality of detector cards.

Abstract: A two dimensional radiation detector array includes a plurality of detector cards, each of the detector cards including: a plurality of radiation detectors arranged in a linear array; and a plurality of amplifiers, each of the amplifiers being electrically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of radiation detectors; and a separator between first and second detector cards of the plurality of detector cards.

Abstract: An x-ray detector module including a silicon photomultiplier and a computed tomography imaging system including the same is provided. The x-ray detector module includes optically coupled scintillation materials and silicon photomultiplier pixels. The x-ray detector pixels may have a constant axial profile with a polygonal cross section, which may be rectangular. A plurality of the x-ray detector pixels are generally arranged into 2D arrays. Each x-ray detector pixel may be connected to a dedicated electronic readout channel. In operation, the scintillation materials interact with incident x-ray photons to generate visible-light photons. The silicon photomultiplier pixels generate electrical signals in accordance with the number of visible-light photons generated by an incident x-ray photon. The electronic readout channels process the electrical signals to determine characteristics of the incident x-ray photons. Information of a plurality of x-ray photons are compiled to generate computed tomography images.

Abstract: An imaging detector system includes a radiation detector having a plurality of pixels for generating a plurality of detection signals in response to radiation. Each of the pixels is used to generate a corresponding one of the detection signals. The imaging detector system includes a plurality of photon counting channels. Each photon counting channel is coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels to receive and process the corresponding one of the detection signals. Each photon integrating channel is coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels to receive and process the corresponding one of the detection signals. An image processor receives outputs from the photon counting channels and the photon integrating channels, wherein the image processor is adapted to generate an image using the received outputs.

Abstract: A detector assembly (50) is formed by integrating the electronic processing circuits on a CMOS wafer by stitching a plurality of reticles of at least two different types so as to form an integrated circuit having an array of electronic processing circuits each having a respective sensor input disposed toward a first surface of the wafer and accessible from the first surface via a contact formed near an edge of the integrated circuit. Sensor elements (56) are disposed on the first surface of the respective integrated circuits in the detector whereby an exposed surface of the sensor elements forms a common first electrode towards which incident photons are directed, and an opposite unexposed surface thereof forms multiple second electrodes of opposite polarity to the first electrode each in registration with a corresponding sensor input.

Abstract: An imaging detector system includes a radiation detector having a plurality of pixels for generating a plurality of detection signals in response to radiation. Each of the pixels is used to generate a corresponding one of the detection signals. The imaging detector system includes a plurality of photon counting channels. Each photon counting channel is coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels to receive and process the corresponding one of the detection signals. Each photon integrating channel is coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels to receive and process the corresponding one of the detection signals. An image processor receives outputs from the photon counting channels and the photon integrating channels, wherein the image processor is adapted to generate an image using the received outputs.

Abstract: A detector assembly (50) is formed by integrating the electronic processing circuits on a CMOS wafer by stitching a plurality of reticles of at least two different types so as to form an integrated circuit having an array of electronic processing circuits each having a respective sensor input disposed toward a first surface of the wafer and accessible from the first surface via a contact formed near an edge of the integrated circuit. Sensor elements (56) are disposed on the first surface of the respective integrated circuits in the detector whereby an exposed surface of the sensor elements forms a common first electrode towards which incident photons are directed, and an opposite unexposed surface thereof forms multiple second electrodes of opposite polarity to the first electrode each in registration with a corresponding sensor input.

Abstract: A radiation detector for detecting radiation such as x-rays. The radiation detector includes a detector having a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the pixels is used for detecting the radiation. The radiation detector also includes a ball grid array (BGA) package having a plurality of solder balls formed on a first side and a plurality of contacts formed on a second side. The BGA package also has a cavity, in which at least one integrated circuit (IC) chip is mounted. The IC chip has a plurality of readout channels, each of the readout channels being coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels via a corresponding one of the solder balls to receive an electrical signal corresponding to the radiation detected by the corresponding one of the pixels.

Abstract: A sensor array having a plurality of pixels each including a sensor element coupled to a sensor input (24) of an electronic processing circuit is fabricated by first forming an integrated circuit having at least one array of electronic processing circuits (25, 26) each having a respective sensor input (24) disposed with terminal nodes of the integrated circuit toward a first surface of the wafer. In respect of either each pixel or each terminal node, an electrically conductive via (31) is formed through the wafer (20) extending from either the respective sensor input (24) or from the respective terminal node to a second surface (28) of the wafer opposite the first surface. This allows each electrically conductive via (31) exposed at the second surface of the wafer to serve for connection thereto of either a sensor element or a terminal connection that is electrically connected through the electrically conductive via (31) to the respective sensor input or terminal node.

Abstract: A radiation detector for detecting radiation such as x-rays. The radiation detector includes a detector having a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the pixels is used for detecting the radiation. The radiation detector also includes a ball grid array (BGA) package having a plurality of solder balls formed on a first side and a plurality of contacts formed on a second side. The BGA package also has a cavity, in which at least one integrated circuit (IC) chip is mounted. The IC chip has a plurality of readout channels, each of the readout channels being coupled to a corresponding one of the pixels via a corresponding one of the solder balls to receive an electrical signal corresponding to the radiation detected by the corresponding one of the pixels.

Abstract: A sensor array having a plurality of pixels each including a sensor element coupled to a sensor input (24) of an electronic processing circuit is fabricated by first forming an integrated circuit having at least one array of electronic processing circuits (25, 26) each having a respective sensor input (24) disposed with terminal nodes of the integrated circuit toward a first surface of the wafer. In respect of either each pixel or each terminal node, an electrically conductive via (31) is formed through the wafer (20) extending from either the respective sensor input (24) or from the respective terminal node to a second surface (28) of the wafer opposite the first surface. This allows each electrically conductive via (31) exposed at the second surface of the wafer to serve for connection thereto of either a sensor element or a terminal connection that is electrically connected through the electrically conductive via (31) to the respective sensor input or terminal node.

Abstract: A signal readout system for a solid state detector array comprising a plurality of detection channels, wherein the decision to output a signal detected by a channel is determined by the content of that channel.

Abstract: A signal readout system for a solid state detector array comprising a plurality of detection channels, wherein the decision to output a signal detected by a channel is determined by the content of that channel.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for simultaneous quantification of the amounts of one or more radioactive nuclides within arbitrary regions on a surface where these nuclides have been deposited, adsorbed or fixed. These radioactive nuclides serve as markers on compounds that typically have been incorporated into tissue sections or into larger biological molecules that by various mechanisms have been bound to chemical substances on this surface. The method is especially well suited for DNA microarray deductions through the use of nucleotides labelled with different beta-emitting radionuclides.

Abstract: A method for detecting an active pixel in a sensor having a plurality of addressable pixels, comprising detecting a trigger event that causes a pixel to go active and setting a corresponding resettable latch from an initial unset logic state to a set logic state and establishing a time window during which another pixel which becomes active is assumed to originate from the same trigger event. For all pixels that become active within the time window a corresponding analog value of the pixel is sampled and held in response to a logic signal indicative of another pixel currently being active, and an incident time of the pixel going active is established. Each of the latches in the segment is sparsely read so as successively to identify latches which are in the set logic state each corresponding to an active pixel having a known address in the sensor segment. The known address of each active pixel is associated with the incident time of the pixel going active and the respective sampled and held analog value.

Abstract: A method and threshold discrimination circuit for threshold discriminating an accumulated charge signal in a charge readout sensor, wherein the accumulated charge signal is shaped with a filter prior to effecting threshold discrimination thereof, and a slew rate of the filter is limited so that the filtered accumulated charge signal reaches a predetermined threshold at a time that remains constant irrespective both of an amplitude of the signal and of charge collection time. Such a threshold discrimination circuit finds particular application in a charge readout sensor in a nuclear imaging system where very accurate determination of the time of photon emission is required.