Thermotrex Corporation

Lee Morsell

Brett A Spivey

Peter J Martin

Paul A Johnson

Richard Trissel

Steve Horton

Anthony J Pellegrino

Jean-Marie Tran

George Houghton

Eugene Atlas

Stephen Horton

A solid state radiation detection unit for producing pixel data from electron-hole producing radiation using a photoelectric conversion layer. One aspect of the invention includes a photoelectric conversion layer that is deposited in direct contact with an array of doped semiconductor pixel contacts. Another aspect of the invention uses a buried field electrode formed within a photoelectric conversion layer. The two inventive concepts can be used separately or combined in a single embodiment.

MOS imaging device

A scintillation based microscope. One surface of a single crystal salt crystal scintillator is supported on an optically transparent support plate. The opposite surface, an illumination surface, of the crystal is coated with an optically reflecting material which is transparent to high energy photons (such as x-ray and/or high energy ultraviolet photons) in order to provide a scintillation sandwich having an optical mirror at the illumination surface of the crystal. These high energy photons are directed through a target to create a shadow image of the target on the illumination surface of the scintillator salt crystal. A portion or all of the shadow image is viewed with an optical device such as an eye piece to provide a very high resolution image of the target or portions of the target. In a preferred embodiment an adjustable pin hole unit is described to produce a very small x-ray spot source for producing high resolution geometric magnification of the shadow image of the target.

Scintillator based microscope

A semiconductor imaging device comprising MOS or CMOS pixel circuits having pixel pads separated by insulating material and having a conductive migration blocking layer applied over the pixel pads. The conductive migration blocking layer comprises an electrically conductive material that is inert with respect to selected photoelectric conversion layer materials, and may be formed as individual contacts, or formed as a deposited layer and etched to form distinct pixels covering the underlying pixel pad material. Thereafter, a photoelectric conversion layer is applied over the migration blocking layer material. The basic device is completed by applying a field electrode layer over the photoelectric conversion layer.

Prevention of photoelectric conversion layer contamination in an imaging

An x-ray imaging device. One surface of a flat single crystal CsI crystal is supported on an optically transparent support plate. The opposite surface, i.e. an x-ray illumination surface of the crystal is coated with an x-ray transparent optical reflector to provide an x-ray scintillation sandwich having an optical mirror at the x-ray illumination surface of the CsI crystal. An optical camera is preferably focused on the illumination surface of the CsI crystal. In a preferred embodiment an index of refraction matched optical adhesive is used at the x-ray illumination surface to attach the reflector and to reduce Fresnel reflections.

X-ray imaging device

The invention provides a digital x-ray mammography device capable of imaging a full breast. A movable aperture coupled with a movable x-ray image detector permits x-ray image data to be obtained with respect to partially overlapping x-ray beam paths from an x-ray source passing through a human breast. A digital computer programmed with a stitching algorithm produces a composite image of the breast from the image data obtained with respect to each path. In a preferred embodiment, a Schmidt camera images visible light produced at an x-ray to visible light conversion surface onto a digital detector array to produce an overlapping image pane with respect to each overlapping beam path.

Full breast digital mammography device

This invention provides an imaging system for producing images from electromagnetic radiation such as x-rays. The system includes a detector comprised of a radiation-absorbing layer sandwiched between an array of CMOS integrated circuits (which we call pixel circuits) and a surface electrode layer transparent to the radiation. Each of the pixel circuits in the array has a charge collecting electrode. An external voltage applied between the surface electrode layer and the charge collecting electrodes produces an electric field across the thickness of the absorbing layer. Radiation passing through the transparent surface electrode layer is absorbed in the absorbing layer creating electron/hole pairs in the absorbing layer. A portion of the liberated holes (or electrons) migrates under the influence of the electric field toward the charge collecting electrodes, which collect the holes and store them as charges on small capacitors located within each circuit. This process results in a discrete distribution of stored voltages across the array proportional to the distribution of radiation photons incident on the absorbing layer. Circuitry in each pixel provides for the voltage on each pixel capacitor to be recorded via readout circuitry and permits the resetting of the pixel capacitors. Preferred embodiments provide fine resolution with a large number of pixels with dimensions about the size of the thickness of human hair.

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Del Mar, CA, United States of America

Lee Morsell