Radiation imaging apparatus
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsHal O. Anger, Donn C. Martin, Michael L. Lampton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A radiation imaging system using a charge multiplier and a position sensitive anode in the form of periodically arranged sets of interconnected anode regions for detecting the position of the centroid of a charge cloud arriving thereat from the charge multiplier. Various forms of improved position sensitive anodes having single plane electrode connections are disclosed. Various analog and digital signal processing systems are disclosed, including systems which use the fast response of microchannel plates, anodes and preamps to perform scintillation pulse height analysis digitally.
Claims19
Apparatus for imaging incident photons, ions, electrons or nuclear particles, comprising:
- event detecting means, including at least one charge multiplying means, for detecting an incident event and supplying at least one free charged particle to said charge multiplying means, an output surface of said charge multiplying means thereby emitting a multiplied charge spatially correlated to the position of said detected event;
- and
- position sensitive anode means mounted substantially parallel to said output surface and at a moderate distance therefrom to permit said emitted charge to expand to a charge cloud before striking said anode means, the centroid of said charge cloud being spatially correlated to the position of said detected event, said anode means comprising a repetitive pattern of charge collecting regions geometrically arranged and connected to encode said charge cloud incident thereon into a plurality of electrical signals indicating the coordinate position of said centroid in a preselected system.
A position sensitive anode adapted to detect the centroid of a cloud of charged particles incident thereon, said anode comprising an insulating substrate with a thin layer of metal carried on a front surface thereof for intercepting said cloud of charged particles, said thin layer of metal being formed into a repetitive pattern of charge collecting regions geometrically arranged and connected to encode said charge cloud into a plurality of electrical signals indicative of the position of said centroid, said geometric arrangement being preselected to provide interconnection thereof by regions of said metal layer itself.
Apparatus for imaging incident radiation comprising:
- means for detecting said radiation and producing a traveling charge cloud in response thereto with the centroid of said charge cloud spatially correlated to the position of said detected radiation;
- and
- a position sensitive anode interposed in the path of said charge cloud for detecting the coordinate position of said centroid thereof in a preselected coordinate system, said position sensitive anode comprising an insulating substrate with a thin layer of metal carried on a front surface thereof for intercepting said charge cloud, said thin layer of metal being formed into a repetitive pattern of strip and wedge regions geometrically arranged and connected to encode said charge cloud into a plurality of electrical signals indicative of the position of said centroid thereof in said coordinate system, said geometric arrangement being preselected to provide interconnection thereof by regions of said metal layer itself.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.