Systems and methods for improved collimation sensitivity

A method comprising:

• generating, with at least one processor, a trigger signal at a given pixelated anode of a semiconductor detector responsive to an event in the given pixelated anode, wherein the semiconductor has a first surface and second surface opposed to each other, the first surface including pixelated anodes including the given pixelated anode, the second surface comprising a cathode electrode, wherein radiation is passed to the semiconductor detector via a pinhole collimator including an array of pinhole openings corresponding to the pixelated anodes, wherein each pinhole opening corresponds to a corresponding group of pixelated anodes, where an area of each pinhole opening is smaller than a corresponding radiation receiving area of the corresponding group of pixelated anodes, and wherein the corresponding radiation receiving area of the corresponding group of pixelated anodes receives radiation from only one corresponding pinhole opening;
• responsive to receiving the trigger signal, reading and summing all signals arriving from the given pixelated anode and anodes surrounding the given pixelated anode to provide a given combined event signal;
• determining if the given combined event signal corresponds to reception of a photon;
• and,
• if the given combined event signal corresponds to reception of a photon, counting the event in the given pixelated anode as a true event.

A tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium comprising one or more computer software modules configured to direct one or more processors to:

• generate, with at least one processor, a trigger signal at a given pixelated anode of a semiconductor detector responsive to an event in the given pixelated anode, wherein the semiconductor has a first surface and second surface opposed to each other, the first surface including pixelated anodes including the given pixelated anode, the second surface comprising a cathode electrode, wherein radiation is passed to the semiconductor detector via a pinhole collimator including an array of pinhole openings corresponding to the pixelated anodes, wherein each pinhole opening corresponds to a corresponding group of pixelated anodes, where an area of each pinhole opening is smaller than a corresponding radiation receiving area of the corresponding group of pixelated anodes, and wherein the corresponding radiation receiving area of the corresponding group of pixelated anodes receives radiation from only one corresponding pinhole opening;
• responsive to receiving the trigger signal, read and sum all signals arriving from the given pixelated anode and anodes surrounding the given pixelated anode to provide a given combined event signal;
• determine if the given combined event signal corresponds to reception of a photon;
• and,
• if the given combined event signal corresponds to reception of a photon, count the event in the given pixelated anode as a true event.