Scintillation detector with a high count rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10451750-B2
Application number	US-201515531247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

The invention concerns a scintillation detector with which high count rates and/or high resolutions are possible. The scintillator of the claimed scintillation detector is formed from pixels ( 2 ), which are separated from each other by interstices ( 4 ). Alternatively or additionally, the surface of the scintillator is divided by grooves into pixels ( 2 ). Such a structure enables not only a particularly high resolution. When multiple detector modules are used, it also allows high count rates in the range of roughly 20 MHz.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Scintillation detector having a scintillator, a light readout unit mounted behind it, and evaluation electronics, so that the light readout unit is between the scintillator and the evaluation electronics, wherein the scintillator is formed from pixels formed from scintillation material, which are separated from each other by interstices, or whose surface is pixelated by grooves, wherein the pixels are up to 8 mm long and up to 8 mm wide, wherein the scintillator comprises a carrier for the scintillation material, which generates light flashes in response to incident radiation, and wherein the carrier material has a lower magnitude of a complex index of refraction than the scintillation material.

2. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the grooves and interstices are filled with reflection material for the light to be detected.

3. Scintillation detector according to claim 2 , characterized in that the reflection material consists of barium sulfate.

4. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the distance between the pixels generated by the interstices amounts to at least 100 μm and the grooves are at least 100 μm wide.

5. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that the pixels are at least one of up to 6 mm, preferably up to 3 mm long and up to 6 mm, preferably up to 3 mm wide and that the pixels are at least one of at least 3 mm long and at least 3 mm wide.

6. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that the pixels contain 6Li.

7. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , wherein the scintillator comprises a substrate for the scintillation material, which generates light flashes in response to incident radiation, which has a lower index of refraction than the scintillation material.

8. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , wherein the scintillator comprises a substrate for the scintillation material, which generates light flashes in response to incident radiation, and wherein an adhesive layer that is at least one of light absorbing and light reflecting is installed between the substrate and the scintillation material.

9. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in at least one of that pixels of the light readout unit, in particular the anodes of a multi-anode photomultiplier, are at least one of up to 6 mm, preferably up to 3 mm, long and up to 6 mm, preferably up to 3 mm, wide and that the pixels of the light readout unit, in particular the anodes of a multi-anode photomultiplier, are at least one of at least 3 mm long and at least 3 mm wide.

10. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that the base surface of the evaluation electronics does not exceed the size of the front surface of the light readout unit (multi-anode photomultiplier).

11. Scintillation detector according to claim 10 , characterized in that the scintillation detector is formed from a multiplicity of modules.

12. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that the evaluation electronics comprises one or more integrated electronic components, which conduct an amplification and noise filtering of the individual signals of the pixels of a light readout unit (multi-anode photomultiplier).

13. Scintillation detector according to claim 1 , characterized in that the evaluation electronics comprises a programmable logic device with internal storage areas, which takes over a number of tasks, specifically in particular a setting of at least one of the measurement modes and the comparator thresholds of integrated electronic components as well as registration of logic comparator signals that are summed up in a chronological order in internal storage places, just like also of data of an analog-to-digital converter, which are also summed up in internal storages.

Assignees

• Integrated Detector Electronics AS
• Forschungszentrum Juelich Gmbh
• Commissariat A Lenergie Atomique Et Aux Energies Cea
• Legal Div European Spallation Source Eric

Inventors

• Jaksch Sebastian
• Frielinghaus Henrich
• Engels Ralf
• Kemmerling Günter
• Kanaki Kalliopi
• Hall-Wilton Richard
• Désert Sylvain
• Gheorghe Codin

Classifications

• G01T1/2002

  Optical details, e.g. reflecting or diffusing layers · CPC title

• G01T3/06 Primary

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/20

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/1644

  using an array of optically separate scintillation elements permitting direct location of scintillations (G01T1/1645 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01T1/2006

  using a combination of a scintillator and photodetector which measures the means radiation intensity · CPC title