Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Aktiengesellchaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Siemens Healthineers Ag

Christian Schröter

Matthias Strassburg

Peter Hackenschmied

Björn Kreisler

Daniel Niederlöhner

Steffen Kappler

Stefan Wirth

Edgar Göderer

Thorsten Ergler

Miguel Labayen De Inza

Mario Reinwand

Karl Stierstorfer

Edgar Kraft

Thomas Reichel

Fabrice Dierre

Thomas Von Der Haar

Andreas Freund

Thomas Hilderscheid

Shameem Kabir Chaudhury

Peter Sievers

Justus Tonn

Johannes Kippes

Stefan Wölfel

A method is disclosed for detecting incident X-ray radiation by way of a direct-converting X-ray radiation detector. A semi-conductor material used for detection purposes is irradiated with additional radiation with an energy level of at least 1.6 eV in order to produce additional charge carriers. A direct-converting X-ray radiation detector is disclosed for detecting X-ray radiation, at least including a semi-conductor material used for X-ray detection and at least one radiation source which irradiates the semi-conductor material with additional radiation, the radiation having an energy level of at least 1.6 eV. A CT system including an X-ray radiation detector is also disclosed.

X-ray direct conversion detector with additional radiation illumination

A method is disclosed for detecting x-rays using an x-ray detector which includes a direct-conversion semiconductor detector element. Additional radiation is supplied to the semiconductor detector element using a radiation source, and the supply of the additional radiation is controlled and/or regulated on the basis of a specified target value. In at least one embodiment, the target value can be specified in a variable manner over time as a sequence of target values. An x-ray detector system is further disclosed, with which the method can be carried out.

Detection of x-rays, and x-ray detector system

A direct conversion X-ray detector for the detection of X-rays includes at least a semiconductor used for detecting X-rays, which has areas that are shaded against X-rays and unshaded areas, a pixelated electrode attached to the semiconductor and an all-over electrode attached to the semiconductor opposite the pixelated electrode, and at least one light source to illuminate the all-over electrode with additional light radiation for the purpose of generating additional charge carriers. In an embodiment, the at least one light source is designed such that the shaded areas are irradiated with a different intensity of the additional light radiation than are the unshaded areas. A CT system including the direct conversion X-ray detector is also disclosed, together with a method for the detection of incident X-rays via direct conversion X-ray detector, wherein the shaded areas are irradiated with a different intensity of the additional light radiation than the unshaded areas.

Direct conversion X-ray detector, CT system, and associated procedure

An X-ray detector is disclosed, in particular for a computed tomography system. In an embodiment, the X-ray detector includes a regular arrangement of measuring pixels for covering a measuring surface. A plurality of the measuring pixels of the regular arrangement are constructed as direct converting measuring pixels, and remaining ones of the measuring pixels are constructed as indirect converting measuring pixels.

X-ray detector

A direct-converting x-ray radiation detector is disclosed for detecting x-ray radiation, in particular for use in a CT system. In an embodiment, the detector includes a semiconductor material used for detecting the x-ray radiation; at least one collimator; and at least one radiation source, to irradiate the semiconductor material with additional radiation. In at least one embodiment, the at least one collimator includes at least one reflection layer on a side facing the semiconductor material, on which the additional radiation is reflected to the semiconductor material. In another embodiment, a CT system including the direct-converting x-ray radiation detector, and a method for detecting incident x-ray radiation via a direct-converting x-ray radiation detector, in particular for use in a CT system, are disclosed.

X-ray radiation detector, CT system and related method

A radiation detector is disclosed, including a plurality of detector elements arranged adjacent to one another in a planar manner. In an embodiment, for the purpose of radiation detection, a semiconductor layer with an upper side and a lower side is present, the semiconductor layer on one of the sides including an electrode embodied so as to extend across a number of detector elements and electrodes subdivided into individual electrodes being arranged on the other side of the semiconductor layer so that by applying voltage between the electrodes of the two sides, an electrical field is generatable and each individual electrode is assigned an effective volume so as to collect charge in the semiconductor layer. In an embodiment, the individual electrodes are alternately connected to at least two different voltage potentials. Furthermore, a medical diagnostic system is disclosed, including at least one such radiation detector.

Radiation detector and medical diagnostic system

A direct-converting x-ray radiation detector is disclosed for detecting x-ray radiation, at least including a semiconductor used to detect x-ray radiation and at least one electrode attached to the semiconductor. In an embodiment, the semiconductor and the at least one electrode are electrically conductively connected and the at least one electrode is designed to be transparent and electrically conductive. A CT system is further disclosed, at least including the direct-converting x-ray radiation detector.

X-ray radiation detector and CT system

A direct-conversion x-ray detector or x-ray detector module includes: a direct converter; at least one collimator; and at least one radiation source. The at least one collimator is arranged in a direction of radiation of the x-ray radiation in front of the direct converter, and to restrict direct irradiation of the direct converter by the x-ray radiation. The at least one radiation source is at a side of the direct converter, and configured to irradiate the direct converter with additional radiation. The at least one collimator includes: at least one reflection layer on a side facing the direct converter, and configured to reflect the additional radiation onto the direct converter; and a cooling facility configured to cool the at least one radiation source.

Direct conversion x-ray detector

A method and a detector system are disclosed for the photon-counting detection of x-ray radiation with direct conversion detectors. In at least one embodiment of the method, as a function of the existing radiation energy, current and/or voltage pulses which are largely proportional thereto are generated, and the generated current and voltage pulses are counted in the detector when a predetermined current and/or voltage source is exceeded, whereby a threshold is used as a predetermined current and/or voltage threshold, which corresponds to a detection of a photon with an energy which is less than the k-edge of the detector material used.

Method for detecting x-ray radiation and detector system with direct conversion detectors

An X-ray detector is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the invention, the X-ray detector includes at least two adjacently arranged detector elements, to each of which a high voltage is applied in order to detect incident X-rays. In this case, two adjacent detector elements are coupled to one another by way of a protection circuit, designed to limit a voltage difference between the two adjacent detector elements to a voltage value which is non-critical with regard to the formation of a flashover between the two detector elements.

A method is disclosed for the temperature stabilization of a direct-converting X-ray detector, including a detector surface having a semiconductor and being divided into a plurality of partial detector surfaces. During the irradiation of the detector surface, heat is generated in the semiconductor by electric power. Electric power generated in the semiconductor is kept constant for each partial detector surface at least during a heterogeneous and/or temporally variable irradiation of the detector surface by feeding-in power-adjusted additional radiation for each partial detector surface. A direct-converting X-ray detector is disclosed for the detection of X-rays. At least one control loop with at least one reference variable is embodied for the energy regulation of the additional radiation, which keeps the temperature in the semiconductor constant for each partial detector surface by keeping the electric power in the semiconductor constant by changing the energy of the additional radiation. A CT system is disclosed.

Method for temperature stabilization, X-ray detector and CT system

A direct radiation converter is disclosed which includes a radiation detection material having an anode side and a cathode side in which the radiation detection material has a doping profile running in the anode-side to cathode-side direction. A radiation detector is further disclosed having such a direct radiation converter and having an anode array and a cathode array, and optionally having evaluation electronics for reading out a detector signal, as well as a medical apparatus having such a radiation detector. Also described is a method for producing a direct radiation converter which includes incorporating into a radiation detection material a doping profile running in the anode-side to cathode-side direction.

Direct radiation converter, radiation detector, medical apparatus and method for producing a direct radiation converter

A circuit arrangement is disclosed for a detector. In at least one embodiment, the circuit arrangement includes a directly-converting semi-conductor material and pulse-shaper in the signal readout electronics assembly. A method is disclosed for a readout of count impulses generated in the semi-conductor material, wherein part of the pulse-shaper is equipped with a relatively longer shaping time constant and a different part of the pulse-shaper is equipped with a relatively shorter shaping time constant.

Circuit arrangement for a directly converting detector and likewise the use thereof and a method for reading a directly converting detector

A radiation converter includes a directly converting semiconductor layer having grains whose interfaces predominantly run parallel to a drift direction&#x2014;constrained by an electric field&#x2014;of electrons liberated in the semiconductor layer. Charge carriers liberated by incident radiation quanta are accelerated in the electric field in the direction of the radiation incidence direction and on account of the columnar or pillar-like texture of the semiconductor layer, in comparison with the known radiation detectors, cross significantly fewer interfaces of the grains that are occupied by defect sites. This increases the charge carrier lifetime/mobility product in the direction of charge carrier transport. Consequently, it is possible to realize significantly thicker semiconductor layers for the counting and/or energy-selective detection of radiation quanta. This increases the absorptivity of the radiation converter which in turn makes it possible to reduce a radiation dose applied to the patient.

Radiation converter comprising a directly converting semiconductor layer and method for producing such a radiation converter

A radiation converter material includes a semiconductor material used for directly converting radiation quanta into electrical charge carriers. In at least one embodiment, the semiconductor material includes a dopant in a dopant concentration and defect sites produced in a process-dictated manner in such a way that the semiconductor material includes an ohmic resistivity in a range of between 5&#xb7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm and 2&#xb7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm. Such a radiation converter material is particularly well matched to the requirements in particular in human-medical applications with regard to the high flux rate present and the spectral distribution of the radiation quanta. In at least one embodiment, the invention additionally relates to a radiation converter and a radiation detector, and a use of and a method for producing such a radiation converter material.

Radiation converter material, radiation converter, radiation detector, use of a radiation converter material and method for producing a radiation converter material

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Bamberg, Germany

Christian Schröter