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US 4,719,354 AGranted
High efficiency detector for energetic x-rays
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorNathan R. Whetten
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An x-ray detector for use in computerized tomography employing a liquefied xenon as a high density detecting medium comprises a housing having an x-ray permeable window and containing at least one electrically conductive voltage plate spaced from, and parallel to, at least one collector plate comprising a plurality of conductive elements. The liquid xenon fills the space between the voltage and collector plates.
Claims32
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- one voltage plate in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material;
- a collector plate including an array of side-by-side discrete, electrically conductive collector plate elements;
- and
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window in the presence of an electric field between said voltage plate and said collector plate elements excites said liquefied noble gas to achieve current conduction by transport of holes and electrons between each said voltage plate and the most proximate of said collector plate elements.
3 more elements
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- a plurality of voltage plates, each in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material and mounted in spaced relation to each other;
- a plurality of collector plates positioned with respect to said voltage plates to achieve an alternating sequence of respectively spaced voltage and collector plates, each of side-by-side said collector plates including an array of side-by-side discrete, electrically conductive collector plate elements, respectively, on each surface thereof in facing relation with adjacent ones, respectively, of said voltage plates;
- and
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window in the presence of an electric field between each said voltage plate and the most proximate of said collector plate elements excites said liquefied noble gas to achieve current conduction by transport of holes and electrons between each said voltage plate and the most proximate of said collector plate elements.
3 more elements
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- first and second voltage plates each in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material substantially opaque to x-ray energy;
- a collector plate including an array of side-by-side discrete, electrically conductive collector plate elements substantially opaque to x-ray energy;
- said voltage plates and said collector plate mounted in opposed relation within said housing in locations behind said window and positioned perpendicular to said window in alternating relationship;
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window passes between said voltage plates and said collector plate elements.
3 more elements
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- a plurality of voltage plates, each in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material and being substantially opaque to x-ray energy;
- a plurality of collector plates comprised of nonconductive material, each of said collector plates including an array of side-by-side discrete, electrically conductive collector plate elements, respectively, on each surface thereof in facing relation with adjacent ones, respectively, of said voltage plates, said elements being substantially opaque to x-ray energy;
- said voltage plates and said collector plates being positioned perpendicular to said window and in alternating relationship;
- and
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window passes between said voltage plates and said collector plate elements.
4 more elements
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- one voltage plate in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material;
- a collector plate comprising a sheet of nonconductive material and a plurality of side-by-side electrically conductive collector stripes disposed thereon;
- said voltage plate and said collector plate mounted in opposed, spaced relation within said housing;
- means attached to each of said collector stripes for making electrical connection to a signal processing circuit;
- and
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window in the presence of an electric field between said voltage plate and said collector stripes excites said liquefied noble gas to achieve current conduction by transport of holes and electrons between said voltage plate and the most proximate of said collector stripes.
5 more elements
A high efficiency, computerized tomography x-ray detector, comprising:
- a housing having an x-ray permeable window therein;
- a plurality of voltage plates, each of said voltage plates being in the form of a sheet of electrically conductive material, respectively;
- a plurality of collector plates, each of said collector plates comprising a sheet of nonconductive material, respectively, and a plurality of side-by-side electrically conductive collector stripes disposed on sa::d sheet, respectively;
- said voltage plates and said collector plates being substantially parallel to one another and positioned to achieve an alternating sequence of respectively spaced said voltage and collector plates such that each said plurality of collector stripes is situated in facing relation, respectively, with the adjacent ones of said voltage plates, respectively;
- means attached to each of said collector stripes for making electrical connection to a signal processing circuit;
- and
- a liquefied noble gas contained within said housing, said liquefied noble gas being substantially opaque to electromagnetic radiation at x-ray frequencies;
- whereby x-ray energy entering said housing through said window in the presence of an electric field between said voltage plates and said collector stripes passes between said plates and excites said liquefied noble gas to achieve current conduction by transport of holes and electrons between each of said voltage plates, respectively, and the most proximate of said collector stripes, respectively.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.