Pixelated Anode Strip-Electrodes for Radiation Detectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiation detectors face challenges in achieving high energy resolution and spatial resolution, particularly at short distances from a collimator, due to high leakage current and excessive information from numerous electronic channels, which degrades signal-to-noise ratio and increases statistical noise.
Innovation Solution
The use of pixelated anode strip-electrodes arranged in a coplanar configuration with small pitch and segmented design reduces the area of each anode strip, minimizing leakage current and utilizing neighbor summing for charge-sharing recovery, while grouping multiple strips into virtual pixels to reduce excess information and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional radiation detectors use numerous electronic channels to achieve high spatial resolution, then spatial resolution is improved, but statistical noise increases and signal-to-noise ratio deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple adjacent anode strips into single shared readout channels. Specifically, multiple anode strips in the same row share a common readout channel, and multiple anode strips in the same column share another common readout channel. This merging reduces the total number of electronic channels while maintaining spatial resolution through the coplanar strip geometry, directly resolving the contradiction between high channel count for spatial resolution and low channel count for reduced statistical noise.
2Measurement precision
If conventional radiation detectors increase the number of electronic channels to improve energy resolution, then energy resolution is improved, but device complexity and statistical noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a merging strategy where multiple anode strips share common readout channels through summing circuits. This reduces device complexity by minimizing the number of electronic channels required, while energy resolution is maintained through the coplanar strip electrode design that reduces leakage current and enables effective charge collection with fewer channels.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional radiation detectors use traditional anode configurations, then manufacturing is simpler, but leakage current is high and spatial resolution is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the anode structure into multiple coplanar strip electrodes arranged in a specific geometric pattern. The anodes are divided into multiple strips that lie in the same plane, with each strip being a separate electrode element. This segmentation enables reduced pitch between effective pixels, improved spatial resolution, and reduced leakage current area, while the overall configuration remains manufacturable through standard semiconductor fabrication processes.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional radiation detectors use non-coplanar anode arrangements, then manufacturing is easier, but charge sharing increases and spatial resolution is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional three-dimensional stacked anode arrangements to a two-dimensional coplanar configuration. All anode strips are positioned in the same plane (one dimension reduced), which eliminates charge sharing between vertically stacked anodes and simplifies the electrical connection structure. This dimensional change maintains ease of manufacture while dramatically improving spatial resolution by enabling smaller pitch between effective pixel elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the detector's energy resolution and spatial resolution, improves sensitivity, and reduces the number of electronic channels required, leading to improved signal-to-noise ratio and efficient event counting.
Implementation Method 1
Photons of ionizing radiation, e.g., X-ray or gamma ray radiation, are absorbed by a semiconductor and generate measurable electric charge
Data Source
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AI summary
A radiation detection system is provided. The radiation detection system includes a radiation detector 52. The radiation detector 50 includes a semiconductor layer 52 having a first surface 54 and a second surface 56 opposite the first surface 54, a monolithic cathode 60 disposed on the first surface 54, and multiple pixelated anode strip-electrodes 62 disposed on the second surface 56 in a coplanar arrangement. The multiple pixelated anode strip-electrodes 62 include a first set of pixelated anode strip-electrodes 64 disposed along a first direction and a second set of pixelated anode strip-electrodes 66 disposed along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Each pixelated anode strip-electrode of the first set of pixelated anode strip-electrodes 64 includes a first respective multiple segments disposed along the first direction. Each pixelated anode strip-electrode of the second set of pixelated anode strip-electrodes 66 includes a second respective multiple segments disposed along the second direction.