Quantum dot based imaging detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10527739-B2
Application number	US-201615745171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 7, 2015
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A radiation detection system of an imaging system (100) includes a radiation sensitive detector array (112). The array includes a detector pixel with an optically transparent encapsulate material (114) with one or more particles (116) supporting one or more different scintillation materials (118), wherein each scintillation material is in the form of a nanometer to micrometer quantum dot. A method includes receiving radiation with a detector pixel, wherein the detector pixel includes an encapsulate with one or more quantum dots, wherein each of the quantum dots includes a scintillation material, generating, with the detector pixel, a signal indicative of the received radiation, and reconstructing the signal to construct an image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radiation detection system of an imaging system, comprising:
a radiation sensitive detector array, including:
a detector pixel including:
an optically transparent encapsulate material with one or more particles supporting one or more different scintillation materials, wherein each scintillation material is in a form of a nanometer to micrometer quantum dot.

2. The radiation detection system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more particles support different scintillation materials, each of the different scintillation materials having a different energy absorption bandwidth.

3. The radiation detection system of claim 2 , wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material is a single scintillation layer and the one or more particles are in the single scintillation layer.

4. The radiation detection system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a photosensor, wherein the single scintillation layer is coupled to the photosensor.

5. The radiation detection system of claim 4 , wherein the photosensor includes a matrix of photosensitive regions, with at least one region corresponding to each of the absorption bandwidths.

6. The radiation detection system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second detector pixel, wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material of the detector pixel and wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material of the second detector pixel are separated by a material free region having a non-zero width.

7. The radiation detection system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a reflective material disposed in the material free region.

8. The radiation detection system of claim 2 , wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material includes at least two layers, with a first of the different scintillation materials in a first of the layers and a second different one of the different scintillation materials material in a second of the layers.

9. The radiation detection system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first photosensor coupled to the first of the different scintillation materials; and
a second photosensor coupled to the second of the different scintillation materials.

10. The radiation detection system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a coupling layer between the first photosensor and the second of the different scintillation materials.

11. The radiation detection system of claim 10 , wherein the photosensor includes a matrix of photosensitive regions, with at least one region corresponding to each of the absorption bandwidths.

12. The radiation detection system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a photosensor with a recess and a three-dimensional photosensing surface, wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material is disposed in the recess against the three-dimensional photosensing surface.

13. The radiation detection system of claim 12 , further comprising:
wherein the one or more particles support different scintillation materials, each different scintillation material having a different energy bandwidth, wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material includes at least two scintillation layers, with a first of the different scintillation materials in a first of the scintillation layers and a second different one of the different scintillation materials material in a second of the scintillation layers, and a photosensor therebetween.

14. The radiation detection system of an imaging system of claim 12 , wherein a perimeter of the optically transparent encapsulate material follows a perimeter of the recess.

15. The radiation detection system of claim 1 , wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material with the one or more particles supporting the one or more different scintillation materials is a direct conversion material which directly converts absorbed radiation into corresponding electrical signals indicative of an energy of the absorbed radiation.

16. The radiation detection system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a first electrical contact in electrical contact with each particle of a first group of the particles having a same first scintillation material; and
a second electrical contact in electrical contact with each particle of a second group of the particles having a same second scintillation material.

17. The radiation detection system of claim 15 , wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material includes porous silicon and the one or more particles are disposed in the pores of the porous silicon.

18. The radiation detection system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more particles in the pores interact with the silicon to produce electron-hole pairs.

19. The radiation detection system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more particles support different scintillation materials, each different scintillation material having a different spectral sensitivity, and the spectral sensitivity is in a range of 20 keV to 120 keV.

20. The radiation detection system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more particles support different scintillation materials, each different scintillation material having a different spectral sensitivity, and the spectral sensitivity is in a range of 480 keV to 520 keV.

21. The radiation detection system of claim 20 , wherein the optically transparent encapsulate material includes a plurality of sheets of silicon layers stack one on another.

22. A method, comprising:
receiving radiation with a detector pixel, wherein the detector pixel includes an encapsulate with one or more quantum dots, wherein each of the quantum dots includes a scintillation material;
generating, with the detector pixel, a signal indicative of the received radiation; and reconstructing the signal to construct an image.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein at least two of the quantum dots include different scintillation materials corresponding to different energy spectra and the at least two quantum dots are all in a same layer of the encapsulate, and further comprising:
generating, with a first region of a photosensor coupled to the encapsulate, a first signal corresponding to a first of the at least two the quantum dots;
generating, with a second region of the photosensor, a second signal corresponding to a second of the at least two the quantum dots; and
reconstructing the first signal to construct a first spectral image and the second signal to construct a second spectral image.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein at least two of the quantum dots include different scintillation materials corresponding to different energy spectra and the at least two quantum dots are all in different layers of the encapsulate, and further comprising:
generating, with a first region of a photosensor coupled to the encapsulate, a first signal corresponding to a first of the at least two the quantum dots;
generating, with a second region of the photosensor, a second signal corresponding to a second of the at least two the quantum dots; and
reconstructing the first signal to construct a first spectral image and the second signal to construct a second spectral image.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein at least two of the quantum dots include different scintillation materials corresponding to different energy spectra and the at least two quantum dots are all a same layer of a porous silicon material, and further comprising:
generating, via the porous silicon material, a first signal corresponding to a first of the at least two the

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Chappo Marc Anthony
• Pittock Dane

Classifications

• G01T1/161

  Applications in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting {(apparatus for radiation diagnosis A61B6/00)} · CPC title

• B82Y15/00

  Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors · CPC title

• G01T1/2018 Primary

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title

• G01T1/20187

  Position of the scintillator with respect to the photodiode, e.g. photodiode surrounding the crystal, the crystal surrounding the photodiode, shape or size of the scintillator · CPC title

• G01T1/20185

  Coupling means between the photodiode and the scintillator, e.g. optical couplings using adhesives with wavelength-shifting fibres · CPC title