Multiple Energy Detector
AssigneeRapiscan Systems, Inc.
InventorEdward James Morton
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Abstract
The present specification describes an improved multi-energy radiation detector. In one embodiment, the signal generated by the detection medium is converted to digital form directly at the point of signal collection. This avoids the need for power intensive high bandwidth amplifiers and analog-to-digital converters, as it integrates the sensing device and signal processing onto the same silicon substrate to reduce the number of components in the system. In one embodiment, a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is coupled directly to a threshold detector to achieve an intrinsically low power and low noise detector.
Claims22
A multi-energy detector for detecting incident radiation, comprising:
- a scintillator material adapted to convert the incident radiation into a plurality of optical photons;
- an array of pixel circuits, wherein each pixel circuit comprises a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) coupled to a threshold detector, wherein each SPAD is optically coupled to the scintillator material and adapted to generate a current in response to detecting one or more optical photons, and a threshold detector in electrical communication with the SPAD, wherein the threshold detector configured to generate a digital pulse in response to said current;
- and
- processing electronics for processing the digital pulse from each pixel circuit in said array of pixel circuits and converting said digital pulse into an energy profile of the incident radiation.
A sensor for detecting incident photons comprising a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) coupled with a threshold detector for generating a signal upon detection of an optical photon by the SPAD, the SPAD being configured as a solid state photodetector in which a single photon can cause sufficient ionization to trigger a measurable avalanche current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.