Researchers from CEA-Leti’s Detector Laboratory (LDET) presented four oral papers and one invited paper at the recent IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium & Medical Imaging Conference & Workshop on Room-Temperature Semiconductor X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detectors in Seoul, Korea.
Held in the Asia-Pacific region for the first time, the NSS/MIC/RTSD is the foremost international scientific meeting on the physics, engineering and mathematical aspects of nuclear medical imaging.
The Leti lab has extensive R&D experience in X-ray and gamma ray imaging. It develops new imaging solutions by combining physics, modelling and simulation, electronics and information processing with innovative technologies from other Leti departments and from subcontractors.
Because of the lab’s technology innovations and successful transfers to industrial partners, Leti is recognized globally for its expertise in imaging detectors for medical, security and scientific applications based on semiconductor detection material operating at room temperature.
Titles of the presented papers:
- “Experimental Tests of a 10x10 cm CZT Imaging System for Gamma and μ-SPECT Imaging” (Invited)
- “Embedded Data Processing for an Autonomous 10x10 cm CZT Imaging System Using Orthogonal Capacitive Strip Technology”
- “An Autonomous CZT Module for X-ray Diffraction Imaging”
- “Sphinx1: Spectrometric Photon Counting and Integration Pixel for X-Ray Imaging with a 100 Electrons LSB”
- “X-ray Diffraction Imaging System for the Detection of Illicit Substances Using Pixelated CZT Detectors” in collaboration with Morpho Detection (Safran Group)
For many years, Leti has focused on the next generation of X-ray and gamma ray detectors used in imaging systems of major equipment manufacturers. As part of this work, Leti has developed room-temperature semiconductor detectors based on CdTe (cadmium telluride) and CdZnTe (cadmium zinc telluride) connected to a CMOS readout circuit. It also has developed information-processing capabilities to take advantage of new detector functionality for better system performance than existing control security or medical-imaging techniques.
The Leti lab’s recent achievements in nuclear imaging include:
- A new versatile gamma-ray imaging-system prototype called Myriagami. Developed through a choice of multiple collimation strategies including parallel, pinhole and convergent collimators, it enables high-sensitivity, high-resolution and focused non-invasive imaging. This camera displays extremely promising performances as a multi-purpose tool for preclinical nuclear imaging and gamma-ray source localization.
- A new high-performance X-ray module that will be integrated in an innovative X-ray diffraction imaging (XDi) system manufactured by Morpho Detection (Safran Group) and used in security screening applications for the highest detection and lowest false-alarm rates.
- A novel pixel architecture adapted for X-ray imaging that can detect radiation by photon counting and charge integration with low noise and optimized power consumption. Most commercial X-ray digital flat panels available in the market today are based on detection by charge integration using passive pixels.
Leti is working on new technologies that will reduce the radiation dose for medical imaging and will improve material discrimination for scanning devices. The breakthrough comes from new electronics and signal processing that will contribute to both high count rate and measurement accuracy. The medical and security imaging will be based on such semiconductor-based detectors that will offer “color imaging” in the future.
Source: http://www.cea.fr/