X-ray imaging system and solid state detector therefor
AssigneeGeneral Imaging Corporation
InventorsJohn D. Cox, Alan M. Jacobs, Stephen A. Scott, Yi-Shung Juang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The x-ray imaging system comprises an x-ray source for producing an x-ray beam and an x-ray detector. The x-ray detector comprises a solid state integrated circuit having a silicon substrate and a plurality of charge storage devices. A circuit is provided for placing a charge on the charge storage devices and the integrated circuit is disposed in an x-ray permeable material. The detector is positioned in an x-ray beam such that the charge is dissipated by secondary radiation produced by interaction between the x-ray beam and the silicon substrate of the integrated circuit.
Claims41
An x-ray imaging system comprising:
- an x-ray source for producing an x-ray field having sufficient energy such that compton scattering and pair production have a higher combined probability of producing free electrons in silicon than the photoelectric effect;
- and
- an x-ray detector comprising a solid state device having a plurality of layers, one of said layers including a semiconductor material with a plurality of charge storage devices, said detector having an extra absorber material for the purpose of enhancing x-ray absorption, said extra absorber material being exposed to said x-ray field to produce free electrons and being positioned sufficiently close to said semiconductor material to permit said free electrons to interact with said charge storage devices.
An x-ray imaging system comprising:
- an x-ray source for producing an x-ray field having an energy level sufficiently high that compton scattering and pair production have a higher combined probability of producing free electrons in silicon than the photoelectric effect;
- an x-ray detector comprising a solid state integrated random access circuit having a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of charge storage devices, and circuit means including a plurality of conductor lines for randomly accessing each of said charge storage devices, said detector being positioned to be exposed to said x-ray field such that charges on said charge storage devices are affected by free electrons produced by said x-ray field;
- and
- means for sensing a charge on each of said charge storage devices through said circuit means.
A method of detecting an x-ray image comprising:
- storing charges on a plurality of charge storage devices formed in a random access integrated circuit;
- producing an x-ray field having an energy level sufficiently high that compton scattering and pair production have a combined probability of producing free electrons in silicon greater than the photoelectric effect;
- exposing an object to be imaged to said x-ray field;
- exposing said integrated circuit to the x-ray field from said object such that said x-ray field interacts with said integrated circuit to produce said free electrons to reduce the charge on said charge storage devices;
- and
- sensing the charge on said charge storage devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.