Macropixel and macropixel-based particle and radiation detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11762111-B2
Application number	US-202017625402-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2020
Priority date	Jul 8, 2019
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

An arrangement for determining an energy spectrum of a beam of radiation or particles is disclosed. The arrangement comprises a plurality of polymeric bodies. Each of the plurality of polymeric bodies includes an optical waveguide. Each of the plurality of polymeric bodies has a scintillator disposed at a respective end of the optical waveguide. The scintillators are arranged relative to each other such that an energy resolution of a particle beam incident on the arrangement can be determined. Furthermore, a particle detector with the arrangement and an evaluation unit for reading out the particle detector are disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An arrangement ( 100 ) for determining an energy spectrum of a particle beam, comprising
a plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ), each of said plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) comprising
an optical waveguide ( 112 ) and
a scintillator ( 114 ) disposed at a respective end of said optical waveguide ( 112 ),
said scintillators ( 114 ) being arranged relative to each other such that an energy spectrum of a particle beam incident on said arrangement ( 100 ) is determinable,

wherein the arrangement ( 100 ) comprises a continuous polymeric support structure ( 120 ), and
wherein the plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) are embedded at different distances from a second surface (A) in the continuous polymeric support structure ( 120 ) to enable energy resolution by different penetration depths of the particles of the particle beam, the second surface (A) being an incident surface of the particle beam.

2. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical waveguides ( 112 ) of the plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) have different lengths, and respective ends of the optical waveguides ( 112 ) are aligned on a common plane (E; F) such that the scintillators ( 114 ) have different distances from the common plane (E; F).

3. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the continuous support structure ( 120 ) is built up of individual layers, which are layered in a longitudinal direction of the optical waveguides ( 112 ), so that a shortest and longest distance of the polymeric bodies ( 110 ) to a common plane (A) determines a detectable energy range.

4. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 3 ,
wherein a number of the layers is equal to or smaller or larger than a number of the scintillators ( 114 ).

5. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) are cylindrical or polygonal and are arranged parallel to each other.

6. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the scintillators ( 114 ) and the optical waveguides ( 112 ) are of the same polymer base material and comprise different doping.

7. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 6 ,
wherein the continuous support structure ( 120 ) is of the same polymer base material as the scintillators ( 114 ) and the optical waveguides ( 112 ),
wherein the continuous support structure ( 120 ) has the same or different doping as the scintillators ( 114 ) and/or the optical waveguides ( 112 ).

8. The Arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the energy spectrum of the particle beam has an unknown energy distribution and a scintillator ( 114 ) arranged at the respective end of the optical waveguide ( 112 ) has a diameter of less than 1 mm, and
wherein the scintillators ( 114 ) are arranged relative to one another in such a way that the energy spectrum of a particle beam impinging perpendicularly on a surface (A) of the arrangement ( 100 ) can be determined.

9. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least some of the scintillators ( 114 ) and/or optical waveguides ( 112 ) and/or polymeric bodies ( 110 ) comprise a reflective coating which is formed over an entire surface or in part.

10. The arrangement ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of scintillators ( 114 ) are formed in the optical waveguides ( 112 ) on a plane perpendicular to a light propagation.

11. A particle detector comprising at least one arrangement ( 100 ) for determining an energy spectrum of a particle beam, comprising:
a plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ), each of said plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) comprising
an optical waveguide ( 112 ) and
a scintillator ( 114 ) disposed at a respective end of said optical waveguide ( 112 ),
said scintillators ( 114 ) being arranged relative to each other such that an energy spectrum of a particle beam incident on said arrangement ( 100 ) is determinable,

wherein each arrangement ( 100 ) is a macropixel of the particle detector and their number per unit area defines an achievable spatial resolution.

12. The particle detector according to claim 11 ,
wherein all macropixels are embedded in the continuous support structure.

13. An arrangement ( 100 ) for determining an energy spectrum of a particle beam, comprising:
a polymer support structure ( 120 ) having a first surface (E) at one end and a second surface (A) at an opposite end; and
a plurality of polymeric bodies ( 110 ) extending from the first surface (E) towards the second surface (A), each of the polymeric bodies ( 110 ) comprising
an optical fiber ( 112 ) having one end at the first surface (E) and
a scintillator ( 114 ) disposed at an opposite end of the optical fiber ( 112 ),

wherein the scintillators ( 114 ) are arranged at different distances from the second surface (A).

Assignees

• Univ Darmstadt Tech
• Focused Energy Gmbh

Inventors

• Hesse Markus
• Ebert Tina
• Schaumann Gabriel
• Roth Markus

Classifications

• G01T1/362 Primary

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/2914 Primary

  Measurement of spatial distribution of radiation · CPC title

• G01T1/169

  Exploration, location of contaminated surface areas · CPC title