Spectral imaging detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016154121-A1
Application number	US-201615014297-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 24, 2011
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method includes obtaining a photosensor substrate ( 236 ) having two opposing major surfaces. One of the two opposing major surfaces includes at least one photosensor row ( 230 ) of at least one photosensor element ( 232, 234 ), and the obtained photosensor substrate has a thickness equal to or greater than one hundred microns. The method further includes optically coupling a scintillator array ( 310 ) to the photosensor substrate. The scintillator array includes at least one complementary scintillator row ( 224 ) of at least one complementary scintillator element ( 226, 228 ), and the at least one complementary scintillator row is optically coupled to the at least one photosensor row ( 230 ) and the at least one complementary scintillator element is optically coupled to the at least one photosensor element. The method further includes thinning the photosensor substrate optically coupled to the scintillator producing a thinned photosensor substrate that is optically coupled to the scintillator and that has a thickness on the order of less than one hundred microns.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An imaging detector, comprising:
a photosensor substrate including two opposing major surfaces, wherein one of the two opposing major surfaces is perpendicular to a radiation receiving surface of the imaging detector and includes a plurality of photosensor rows of a plurality of photosensor elements, and the photosensor substrate has a thinned thickness on an order of less than one hundred microns; and a scintillator array optically coupled to the photosensor substrate, wherein the scintillator array includes a plurality of complementary scintillator rows of a plurality of complementary scintillator elements, the scintillator array includes two major opposing surfaces, which are perpendicular to the radiation receiving surface, with a recess in one of the two major surfaces, separate from the complementary scintillator elements, which couples to the photosensor substrate.

2 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of complementary scintillator rows is optically coupled to one of the plurality of photosensor rows, and each of the plurality of complementary scintillator elements is optically coupled to one of the plurality of photosensor elements.

3 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein the photosensor substrate has an original thickness equal to or greater than one hundred microns.

4 . The imaging detector of claim 3 , wherein the original thickness corresponds to a thickness of the photosensor substrate before the photosensor substrate is optically coupled to the scintillator array.

5 . The imaging detector of claim 4 , wherein the original thickness corresponds to a thickness of the photosensor substrate after the photosensor substrate is optically coupled to the scintillator array.

6 . The imaging detector of claim 5 , wherein the thinned thickness corresponds to a thickness of the photosensor substrate after the photosensor substrate optically coupled to the scintillator array it thinned.

7 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing electronics disposed between the photosensor substrate and the scintillator array.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of photosensor rows and the processing electronics are disposed on a same surface of the photosensor substrate.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the processing electronics are disposed on a surface in the recess of the scintillator array.

10 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , further comprising:
electrically conductive pins disposed between the photosensor substrate and the scintillator array.

11 . The imaging detector of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of photosensor rows and the electrically conductive pins are disposed on a same surface of the photosensor substrate.

12 . The imaging detector of claim 10 , wherein the electrically conductive pins are disposed on a surface in the recess of the scintillator array.

13 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of photosensor elements is electrically coupled to processing electronics located external to the photosensor substrate.

14 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a detector tile, including a plurality of the thinned photosensor substrates mechanically and electrically coupled to a detector tile substrate, wherein the detector tile has a major surface that is perpendicular to a surface of the detector tile receiving radiation.

15 . The imaging detector of claim 14 , further comprising:
a detector array, including a plurality of the detector tiles mechanically and electrically coupled together.

16 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the thinned photosensor substrate is in a range from twenty-five to seventy-five microns.

17 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the thinned photosensor substrate is on the order of fifty microns.

18 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , wherein the elements of the plurality of photosensor elements are a spectral photosensor elements.

19 . The imaging detector of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing electronics, wherein the processing electronics are incorporated into the photosensor substrate.

20 . An imaging system, comprising:
a radiation source that generates and transmits radiation; an imaging detector that receives radiation transmitted by the radiation source and generates a signal indicative thereof, the imaging detector, including:
a photosensor substrate including two opposing major surfaces, wherein one of the two opposing major surfaces is perpendicular to a radiation receiving surface of the imaging detector and includes a plurality of photosensor rows of a plurality of photosensor elements, and the photosensor substrate has a thinned thickness on an order of less than one hundred microns; and
a scintillator array optically coupled to the photosensor substrate, wherein the scintillator array includes a plurality of complementary scintillator rows of a plurality of complementary scintillator elements, the scintillator array includes two major opposing surfaces, which are perpendicular to the radiation receiving surface, with a recess in one of the two major surfaces separate from the complementary scintillator elements which couples to the photosensor substrate; and
a reconstructor that reconstructs the signal, generating an image.

Assignees

• Koninkl Philips Nv

Inventors

• Luhta Randall Peter
• Mattson Rodney Arnold

Classifications

• H10F77/496

  Luminescent members, e.g. fluorescent sheets (wavelength conversion means for photovoltaic cells H10F77/45) · CPC title

• G01T1/2985

  In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02) · CPC title

• G01T1/2018 Primary

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title

• G01T1/2006 Primary

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