X-ray detector array and method for manufacturing same

A two-dimensional X-ray detector comprising:

• a plurality of individual sensor elements disposed in an arrangement of a plurality of intersecting rows and columns, each sensor element including an X-ray sensitive scintillator element which emits light dependent on X-rays incident thereon and a photo-electrical transducer optically coupled to said scintillator element for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said light;
• each scintillator element in said arrangement being adjacent to another scintillator element, said arrangement having intermediate areas separating adjacent scintillator elements;
• and
• scintillator material disposed in at least some of said intermediate areas.

A computed tomography apparatus comprising:

• a radiation source which emits X-rays from a focus, at least said focus being rotatable around a system axis in a circumferential direction;
• a two dimensional detector for detecting said X-rays, comprising a plurality of individual sensor elements disposed in an arrangement of a plurality of intersecting rows and columns, each sensor element including an X-ray sensitive scintillator element which emits light dependent on X-rays incident thereon and a photo-electrical transducer optically coupled to said scintillator element for generating an electrical signal corresponding said light, each scintillator element in said arrangement being adjacent to another scintillator element, said arrangement having intermediate areas separating adjacent scintillator elements, and scintillator material disposed in said intermediate areas, said rows being disposed in at least some of said circumferential direction and said columns being disposed parallel to said system axis;
• and
• an image reconstruction system for reconstructing an image from said electrical signals.

A method for manufacturing a detector for detecting X-rays comprising the steps of:

• providing a layer of scintillator material;
• selectively removing scintillator material from said layer to produce a plurality of separating channels with individual sensor elements respectively between said separating channels, said separating channels extending only partly through said layer to form a portion of respective intermediate areas between adjacent sensor elements, with a remainder of the intermediate areas formed by said scintillator material, each of said sensor elements having a sensor element face adapted to receive incoming X-rays, said layer having a layer side opposite to the respective faces;
• and
• disposing a plurality of optoelectric transducers at said layer side, with the optoelectric transducers being respectively optically coupled to the individual sensor elements.