G01T1/248

Positron emission tomography detecting device

A PET detecting device may include a plurality of detection modules and a processing engine. Each of the plurality of detection modules may include a scintillator array, one or more photoelectric converters, one or more energy information determination circuits and a time information determination circuit. The scintillator array may interact with a plurality of photons at respective interaction points to generate a plurality of optical signals. The one or more photoelectric converters may convert the plurality of optical signals to one or more electric signals that each include an energy signal and a time signal. The one or more energy information determination circuits may generate energy information based on the one or more energy signals. The time information determination circuit may generate time information based on the one or more time signals. The processing engine may generate an image based on the energy information and the time information.

RADIATION DETECTOR CAPABLE OF NOISE HANDLING
20230063854 · 2023-03-02 ·

Disclosed herein is a radiation detector, comprising: an avalanche photodiode (APD) with a first side coupled to an electrode and configured to work in a linear mode; a capacitor module electrically connected to the electrode and comprising a capacitor, wherein the capacitor module is configured to collect charge carriers from the electrode onto the capacitor; a current sourcing module in parallel to the capacitor, the current sourcing module configured to compensate for a leakage current in the APD and comprising a current source and a modulator; wherein the current source is configured to output a first electrical current and a second electrical current; wherein the modulator is configured to control a ratio of a duration at which the current source outputs the first electrical current to a duration at which the current source outputs the second electrical current.

RADON GAS SENSOR
20230384463 · 2023-11-30 · ·

A radon gas sensor comprising: a diffusion chamber; a photodiode positioned inside the diffusion chamber; and a photomultiplier positioned inside the diffusion chamber; wherein a scintillating material is provided on at least a part of an inner surface of the diffusion chamber. The photomultiplier detects more alpha particles, but cannot distinguish the energies of different alpha particles. On the other hand, the photodiode can distinguish different decays because the magnitude of the signal generated by the photodiode is proportional to the kinetic energy of the alpha particle striking it. Thus, the photodiode produces spectral data. The spectral data is used to estimate the amount of Polonium that is adhering to aerosols. This is used to apply a correction factor to the data to provide a better estimate of the true Radon concentration in the chamber. This can be combined with the count data of the photomultiplier for overall improved data.

Ionizing radiation detector

An ionizing radiation detector includes a first common semiconductor substrate and a first plurality of single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) microcell structures disposed at a top face of the first common semiconductor substrate. Each SPAD microcell structure includes a first semiconductor junction that is reverse-biased beyond a first breakdown threshold. The ionizing radiation detector may also include common anode and cathode connections to each of the SPAD microcell structures that operate as an output. The ionizing radiation detector may also include control circuitry connected to the SPAD microcell structures. The control circuitry may be configured to control biasing of the SPAD microcell structures and measure electrical characteristics of a signal provided on the output. Charge drift within the first common semiconductor substrate need not be inhibited from exciting more than one of the SPAD microcell structures of the first plurality of SPAD microcell structures by isolation barriers.

LASER SCANNER

The present invention relates to a laser scanner, comprising a housing, a laser transmitter including a transmission aperture for a transmission beam, a laser receiver for a reception beam, and a beam deflection device in the form of a mirror pyramid, the pyramid axis of which forms its axis of rotation, and the pyramid sides of which each form a mirror facet The laser transmitter and the laser receiver are each directed at the mirror pyramid parallel to the axis of rotation of the mirror pyramid. The laser receiver comprises at least one converging lens arranged downstream of the mirror pyramid in the reception beam path. The converging lens, viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation, in its region of overlap with the mirror facets, is at least as large, in area comparison, as twice the largest of all mirror facets viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation.

RECHARGE CIRCUIT FOR DIGITAL SILICON PHOTOMULTIPLIERS
20220283025 · 2022-09-08 ·

The present application relates generally to silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detector arrays. In one aspect, there is a system including an array of cells each including a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) reverse-biased above a breakdown voltage of the SPAD. Each cell may further include trigger logic connected to the SPAD, and configured to output a trigger signal indicating whether the SPAD is in breakdown. Each cell may still further include a conditional recharge circuit configured to recharge the SPAD conditional upon both (i) the recharge circuit applying the recharge signal to the cell and (ii) the trigger signal output by the trigger logic of the cell indicating the SPAD of the cell is in breakdown.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PHOTODIODE-BASED DETECTION
20220283269 · 2022-09-08 ·

A photodiode-based detection module may include at least one photodiode for detecting light. The photodiode-based detection module may also include a sensitivity damper configured to temporarily reduce the sensitivity of the at least one photodiode. The photodiode-based detection module may further include a controller configured to trigger the sensitivity damper to reduce a sensitivity of the at least one photodiode to less than a nominal sensitivity threshold.

Sealed radiation detector module systems and methods

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide a radiation detector module for a radiation detector. A radiation detector module includes a metallic and/or metalized enclosure, a radiation sensor disposed within the enclosure, readout electronics configured to provide radiation detection event signals corresponding to incident ionizing radiation in the radiation sensor, and a cap including an internal interface configured to couple to the readout electronics and an external interface configured to couple to a radiation detector, where the cap is configured to hermetically seal the radiation sensor within the enclosure. The cap may be implemented as an edge plated printed circuit board (PCB) including a slot configured to mate with a planar edge of an open surface of the enclosure, where the slot is soldered to the planar edge of the enclosure to hermetically seal the radiation sensor within the enclosure.

Imaging devices with capacitively coupled single-photon avalanche diodes

An imaging device may include single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). Positioning SPADs close together in an imaging device (such as a silicon photomultiplier) may have benefits such as improved sensitivity. However, as the SPADs get closer together, the SPADS may become susceptible to crosstalk. Crosstalk is typically undesirable due to reduced dynamic range and reduced signal accuracy. To reduce crosstalk, a capacitor or other component may be coupled between adjacent SPADs. When an avalanche occurs on a given SPAD, the bias voltage may drop below the breakdown voltage. The capacitor may cause a corresponding voltage drop on a neighboring SPAD. The voltage drop on the neighboring SPAD reduces the over-bias of that SPAD, reducing the sensitivity of the SPAD and therefore mitigating the chance of crosstalk occurring.

Ionizing radiation detector

A diode and a transistor are connected in parallel. The transistor is located on a first doped region forming a PN junction of the diode with a second doped region located under the first region. The circuit functions as an ionizing radiation detection cell by generating a current through the PN junction which changes by a voltage generated across the transistor. This change in voltage is compared to a threshold to detect the ionizing radiation.