# US 10,481,285 B1 · Systems and methods for determination of depth of interaction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,285 B1 - Document ID: US10481285B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/102,228 - Filed: 2018-08-13 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-13 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Arie Shahar; Yaron Glazer; Moshe Cohen-Erner; Avishai Ofan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481285B1 ## CPC - G01T 1/24: with semiconductor detectors - G01T 7/005: {calibration techniques (stabilization of spectrometer G01T1/40)} - G01T 1/244: {Auxiliary details, e.g. casings, cooling, damping or insulation against damage by, e.g. heat, pressure or the like} - G01T: MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION (radiation analysis of materials, mass spectrometry G01N23/00; tubes for determining the presence, intensity, density or energy of radiation or particles H01J47/00) ## Abstract A detector assembly is provided that includes a semiconductor detector, plural pixelated anodes, and at least one processor. The plural pixelated anodes are disposed on a surface of the semiconductor detector. Each pixelated anode is configured to generate a primary signal responsive to reception of a photon and to generate at least one secondary signal responsive to an induced charge caused by reception of a photon by at least one surrounding anode. The at least one processor is operably coupled to the pixelated anodes and is configured to acquire a primary signal from one of the anodes responsive to reception of a photon; acquire at least one secondary signal from at least one neighboring pixel; and determine a depth of interaction in the semiconductor detector for the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes using the at least one secondary signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radiation detector assembly comprising: a semiconductor detector having a surface; plural pixelated anodes disposed on the surface, each pixelated anode configured to generate a primary signal responsive to reception of a photon by the pixelated anode and to generate at least one secondary signal responsive to an induced charge caused by reception of a photon by at least one surrounding anode; and at least one processor operably coupled to the pixelated anodes, the at least one processor configured to: acquire a primary signal from one of the anodes responsive to reception of a photon by the one of the anodes; acquire at least one secondary signal from at least one neighboring pixel of the one of the anodes responsive to an induced charge caused by the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes, the at least one secondary signal defining a plot of energy against detector depth, wherein at least a portion of the plot has a negative value; and determine a depth of interaction in the semiconductor detector for the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes using the negative value of the at least one secondary signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust an energy level for an event corresponding to the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes based on the depth of interaction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to reconstruct an image using the depth of interaction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one neighboring pixel includes at least one adjacent anode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to use calibration information to determine the depth of interaction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The detector assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the depth of interaction using a calibration based on a ratio between the negative value of the at least one secondary signal and an amplitude of the primary signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The detector assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the depth of interaction using a calibration based on a ratio between a sum of negative values for plural secondary signals and an amplitude of the primary signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the depth of interaction without using any information from a cathode of the detector assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The detector assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a sub-pixel location using the primary signal and the at least one secondary signal. ### Claim 10 A method of imaging using a semiconductor detector having a surface with plural pixelated anodes disposed thereon, wherein each pixelated anode is configured to generate a primary signal responsive to reception of a photon by the pixelated anode and to generate at least one secondary signal responsive to an induced charge caused by reception of a photon by at least one surrounding anode, the method comprising: acquiring a primary signal from one of the anodes responsive to reception of a photon by the one of the anodes; acquiring at least one secondary signal from at least one neighboring pixel of the one of the anodes responsive to an induced charge caused by the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes, the at least one secondary signal defining a plot of energy against detector depth, wherein at least a portion of the plot has a negative value; and determining a depth of interaction in the semiconductor detector for the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes using the negative value of the at least one secondary signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting an energy level for an event corresponding to the reception of the photon by the one of the anodes based on the depth of interaction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising reconstructing an image using the depth of interaction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one neighboring pixel includes at least one adjacent anode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising using calibration information to determine the depth of interaction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the depth of interaction using a calibration based on a ratio between the negative value of the at least one secondary signal and an amplitude of the primary signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the depth of interaction using a calibration based on a ratio between a sum of negative values for plural secondary signals and an amplitude of the primary signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the depth of interaction without using any information from a cathode of the detector assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a sub-pixel location using the primary signal and the at least one secondary signal. ### Claim 19 A method of providing a radiation detector assembly comprising: providing a semiconductor detector having a surface with plural pixelated anodes disposed thereon, each pixelated anode configured to generate a primary signal responsive to reception of a photon by the pixelated anode and to generate at least one secondary signal responsive to an induced charge caused by reception of a photon by at least one adjacent anode; operably coupling the pixelated anodes to at least one processor, providing a calibrated radiation supply at different depths along a sidewall of the semiconductor detector, wherein the pixelated anodes generate primary signals and secondary signals responsive to the calibrated radiation supply, the secondary signals defining corresponding plots of energy against detector depth, wherein at least a portion of the plots have negative values; acquiring, with the at least one processor, the primary signals and the secondary signals from the pixelated anodes; determining the corresponding negative values of total induced charges for each of the different depths; determining calibration information based on the negative values of the total induced charges for each of the different depths. ### Claim 20 The method of 19, further comprising passing the calibrated radiation supply through a pin-hole collimator to the sidewall of the semiconductor detector.