Ut-battelle, Inc.

Richard A Riedel

Lloyd G Clonts

Ronald G Cooper

Alan L Wintenberg

Yacouba Diawara

Jason P Hodges

Christopher A Montcalm

Bruce W Hannan

Theodore Visscher

John D Richards

Cornelius Donahue, Jr

Morris Lowell Crow, Jr

For each photomultiplier tube in an Anger camera, an R&#xd7;S array of preamplifiers is provided to detect electrons generated within the photomultiplier tube. The outputs of the preamplifiers are digitized to measure the magnitude of the signals from each preamplifier. For each photomultiplier tube, a corresponding summation circuitry including R row summation circuits and S column summation circuits numerically add the magnitudes of the signals from preamplifiers for each row and for each column to generate histograms. For a P&#xd7;Q array of photomultiplier tubes, P&#xd7;Q summation circuitries generate P&#xd7;Q row histograms including R entries and P&#xd7;Q column histograms including S entries. The total set of histograms include P&#xd7;Q&#xd7;(R+S) entries, which can be analyzed by a position calculation circuit to determine the locations of events (detection of a neutron).

Neutron camera employing row and column summations

Provided are sensors and methods for detecting thermal neutrons. Provided is an apparatus having a scintillator for absorbing a neutron, the scintillator having a back side for discharging a scintillation light of a first wavelength in response to the absorbed neutron, an array of wavelength-shifting fibers proximate to the back side of the scintillator for shifting the scintillation light of the first wavelength to light of a second wavelength, the wavelength-shifting fibers being disposed in a two-dimensional pattern and defining a plurality of scattering plane pixels where the wavelength-shifting fibers overlap, a plurality of photomultiplier tubes, in coded optical communication with the wavelength-shifting fibers, for converting the light of the second wavelength to an electronic signal, and a processor for processing the electronic signal to identify one of the plurality of scattering plane pixels as indicative of a position within the scintillator where the neutron was absorbed.

Shifting scintillator neutron detector

A preamplifier circuit for processing a signal provided by a radiation detector includes a transimpedance amplifier coupled to receive a current signal from a detector and generate a voltage signal at its output. A second amplification stage has an input coupled to an output of the transimpedance amplifier for providing an amplified voltage signal. Detector electronics include a preamplifier circuit having a first and second transimpedance amplifier coupled to receive a current signal from a first and second location on a detector, respectively, and generate a first and second voltage signal at respective outputs. A second amplification stage has an input coupled to an output of the transimpedance amplifiers for amplifying the first and said second voltage signals to provide first and second amplified voltage signals. A differential output stage is coupled to the second amplification stage for receiving the first and second amplified voltage signals and providing a pair of outputs from each of the first and second amplified voltage signals. Read out circuitry has an input coupled to receive both of the pair of outputs, the read out circuitry having structure for processing each of the pair of outputs, and providing a single digital output having a time-stamp therefrom.

Radiation detection system

High speed preamplifier circuit, detection electronics, and radiation detection systems therefrom

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Richard A Riedel