Panel radiation detector comprising a plurality of adjoining plastic scintillator slabs and a plurality of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors

A method for processing a detection signal of a panel radiation detector for detecting radiation event(s) of ionizing radiation, the panel radiation detector comprising:

• a plurality of adjoining plastic scintillator slabs,
• a plurality of silicon photomultiplier sensors arranged at an edge of at least one of the plurality of adjoining plastic scintillator slabs, and
• a plurality of signal processing units, each of the plurality of signal processing units being connected to one of the plurality of silicon photomultiplier sensors, wherein each of the plurality of signal processing units comprises a digitization circuit,
• wherein the method comprises:
• detecting scintillation light generated in the plurality of adjoining plastic scintillator slabs by the plurality of silicon photomultiplier sensors;
• generating a detection signal by at least one of the plurality of silicon photomultiplier sensors in response to the detected scintillation light;
• and
• generating a digitized signal for a signal analysis by executing a 1-bit digitization of the detection signal by the digitization circuit for determining an energy of detected radiation event(s),
• wherein the panel radiation detector further comprises a joint analyzing circuit connected to the digitization circuit of each of the plurality of signal processing units, and
• wherein the joint analyzing circuit performs a signal analysis by executing the steps comprising:
• determining coincident digitized signals associated with a radiation event,
• summing up the coincident digitized signals associated with the radiation event, and
• determining a pulse width of a summed-up signal for determining the energy of the radiation event.