Light switched segmented tomography detector
OwnerPoen S. Onginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An array of optically isolated small area scintillators overlie a duophotoconductive sandwich, which includes interdigitated electrodes. The sandwich structure wound each interdigitated electrode is precharged to act as a separate small area detector. The duophotoconductive sandwich includes a photoconductive layer adjacent the scintillators and a second photoconductive layer which, in cooperation with the interdigitated electrodes, acts as a switch, when activated by a beam capable of generating charge carriers in the photoconductor, thus successively connecting each of the small area detectors to a low noise preamplifier. Two embodiments, an experimental setup and a method of operation are disclosed.
Claims10
A detector comprising:
- scintillator means for converting X-ray photons received at each of a plurality of different areas of the surface of said detector to a proportionate number of light photons;
- duo-photoconductive means composed of an amorphous material for converting said light photons to a proportionate amount of electric charge and for storing said electric charge;
- and
- random access switching means for selectively connecting said stored electric charge arising from X-ray photons received at any one of said different areas of the surface of said detector to a single amplifier.
An x-ray detector comprising:
- a first transparent conductive layer,
- a first photoconductor layer, said first photoconductor layer being electrically connected and physically affixed to said first conductive layer,
- a plurality of scintillator dielectric modules, said modules being each affixed to a separate part of said first photoconductor layer at an angle,
- each said scintillator dielectric module comprising:
- a scintillator layer,
- a second transparent conductive layer proximate said scintillator layer,
- a second photoconductive layer in electrical contact with said second transparent conductive layer opposite said scintillator layer, and
- an interdigitated electrode in electrical contact with said second photoconductor layer opposite said second conductive layer, said interdigitated electrode being in electrical contact with said first photoconductor layer, and
- a common conductor electrode in electrical contact with the second transparent conductive layer of each of said scintillator dielectric modules.
A photon detector comprising:
- a nonconducting substrate layer,
- a plurality of conductive interdigitated electrodes affixed to said substrate layer, each said interdigitated electrode being electrically isolated,
- a first photoconductor layer in electrical contact with a first portion of each said interdigitated electrodes,
- a second photoconductor layer in electrical contact with a second portion of each said interdigitated electrodes,
- a first transparent conductive layer affixed to and electrically in contact with said first photoconductor layer opposite said interdigitated electrodes, and
- a second transparent conductive layer affixed to and in electrical contact with said second photoconductor layer opposite said second portion of said interdigitated electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.