High-energy ray detector and tomographic image acquisition apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10925557-B2
Application number	US-201916543728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2019
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A high-energy ray detector includes a detection unit in a vacuum container. The detection unit includes a first electron multiplier, a second electron multiplier, and an electron collector. Each of the first electron multiplier and the second electron multiplier has one or more MCPs each configured to emit electrons by interaction with an incident high-energy ray (γ-ray, X-ray (in particular hard X-ray), or neutron ray), and multiply and output the electrons. The electron collector is transmissive for the high-energy ray. The electron collector is configured to collect the electrons multiplied and output from each of the first electron multiplier and the second electron multiplier, and output an electric pulse signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high-energy ray detector comprising:
a first electron multiplier including one or more micro-channel plates each configured to emit electrons by interaction with an incident high-energy ray, and multiply and output the electrons;
a second electron multiplier including one or more micro-channel plates each configured to emit electrons by interaction with an incident high-energy ray, and multiply and output the electrons; and
an electron collector configured to be transmissive for the high-energy ray, collect the electrons multiplied and output from each of the first electron multiplier and the second electron multiplier, and output an electric pulse signal, wherein
the first electron multiplier, the electron collector, and the second electron multiplier are arranged in this order along a predetermined direction.

2. The high-energy ray detector according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of detection units are arranged along the predetermined direction, and
each detection unit is constituted by the first electron multiplier, the electron collector, and the second electron multiplier, being arranged in this order along the predetermined direction.

3. The high-energy ray detector according to claim 1 , wherein the electron collector includes an insulating substrate, and a conductive portion provided on a principal surface of the insulating substrate.

4. The high-energy ray detector according to claim 3 , wherein the electron collector includes a plurality of conductive portions provided on the principal surface of the insulating substrate as the conductive portion, collects the electrons in each of the plurality of conductive portions, and outputs the electric pulse signal.

5. The high-energy ray detector according to claim 1 , wherein the electron collector includes a semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of conductive portions provided on a principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a circuit configured to read out the electric pulse signal output from each of the plurality of conductive portions is formed on the semiconductor substrate.

6. The high-energy ray detector according to claim 1 , wherein a base material of the micro-channel plate contains a material which emits electrons by interaction with a neutron.

7. A tomographic image acquisition apparatus configured to acquire a tomographic image of an object placed in a measurement space, the apparatus comprising:
the high-energy ray detector according to claim 1 as each of a plurality of detectors provided around the measurement space to detect the high-energy ray.

8. The tomographic image acquisition apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising an X-ray source, wherein
the high-energy ray detector is configured to detect an X-ray output from the X-ray source and transmitted through the object, and detect a γ-ray generated with electron-positron annihilation in the object into which an RI source is introduced.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk

Inventors

• Suyama Motohiro
• Shimoi Hideki
• Ota Ryosuke
• Yamada Ryoko

Classifications

• A61B6/037

  Emission tomography · CPC title

• A61B6/5235

  combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT · CPC title

• A61B6/4417

  related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B6/481

  involving the use of contrast agents · CPC title