Autoradiographic digital imager

A real-time autoradiographic digital radionuclide imager comprising a sensor, external off-chip electronics, a computer, and a high voltage supply,

• said sensor comprising a scintillator having a thickness less than the penetration depth of the radionuclide particle in the scintillator, a microchannel plate high-resolution-amplifier and a readout chip structure,
• said readout chip structure comprising a detector array and readout array,
• said readout array comprising a plurality of unit cells, each associated with a single detector in the detector array and containing on-chip readout electronics adapted to change state in response to radiation from tissue samples, producing data indicative of the change of state,
• said readout and external electronics for timing and signal conditioning adapted to provide said data to said computer in digitized form in real time,
• wherein said detector array and readout array are electrically connected by conducting bumps.

A real-time autoradiographic digital radionuclide imager comprising a sensor, external off-chip electronics, a computer, and a high voltage supply,

• said sensor comprising a scintillator having a thickness less than the penetration depth of the radionuclide particle in the scintillator, a microchannel plate high-resolution-amplifier and a readout chip structure,
• said readout chip structure comprising a detector array and readout array,
• said readout array comprising a plurality of unit cells, each associated with a single detector in the detector array and containing on-chip readout electronics adapted to change state in response to radiation from tissue samples, producing data indicative of the change of state,
• said readout and external electronics for timing and signal conditioning adapted to provide said data to said computer in digitized form in real time,
• each of said unit cells comprising a signal storage capacitor, wherein said each of capacitors is adapted to store a signal indicative of the energy of a radionuclide particle emission,
• each of said unit cells further comprising electronic means to enable selection of said unit cell prior to data readout and to reset said capacitor just after data readout and to enable selection and transfer of said the signal from said capacitor to said external electronics.

A multi-layered sensor having readout and external electronics,

• said sensor comprising an electron energy absorptive and photon reflecting or absorbing layer, a scintillator layer, a microchannel plate high-resolution amplifier and a readout chip structure comprising a readout array and a detector array,
• said readout array comprising a plurality of unit cells, each associated with a single detector in the detector array and containing readout electronics adapted to change state in response to radiation from tissue samples, producing data indicative of the change of state,
• said readout and external electronics, adapted to read out said data in digitized form in real time,
• wherein the readout chip structure comprises a detector array and readout array electrically connected by conducting bumps.

A multi-layered sensor having readout and external electronics,

• said sensor comprising an electron energy absorptive and photon reflecting or absorbing layer, a scintillator layer, a microchannel plate high-resolution amplifier and a readout chip structure comprising a readout array and a detector array,
• said readout array comprising a plurality of unit cells, each associated with a single detector in the detector array and containing readout electronics adapted to change state in response to radiation from tissue samples, producing data indicative of the change of state,
• each of said unit cells comprising a signal storage capacitor, wherein each of said capacitors is adapted to store a signal indicative of the sensed particle,
• each of said unit cells further comprising electronic means to enable selection of said unit cell prior to data readout and to enable selection and transfer of said signal from said capacitor to said external electronics.