The University of Arizona

Joshua D Eskin

Harrison H Barrett

H Bradford Barber

Daniel G Marks

A CdZnTe detector array with pixel electrodes indium-bump-bonded to a multiplexer readout circuit. The pixel size is selected so as to minimize the effect of hole trapping while ensuring that all interacting electrons deposit their energy in a designated central pixel. The readout is carried out either when a gamma-ray interaction event occurs or at time intervals likely to produce no more than one event of photon interaction at any given pixel. The readout signal for each pixel is compared to a corresponding threshold signal to identify clusters of adjacent pixels having an above-threshold signal. Then, a central pixel is designated for each cluster, the signals from a predetermined number of pixels in and/or neighboring the cluster are added to produce a cumulative signal, and the cumulative signal is assigned to the designated central pixel. The cumulative signals so produced and the positions of corresponding central pixels are then processed to generate an image of the gamma-ray emitting source. According to other embodiments of the invention, the signals from a predetermined number of pixels in and/or neighboring the clusters are used to estimate spatial coordinates and energy of each interaction event or to estimate the spatial and energy distribution of the fluence of events of gamma-ray interaction with the detector.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Joshua D Eskin