Terbium based detector scintillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322935-B2
Application number	US-201214234639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2012
Priority date	Jul 28, 2011
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

An imaging system ( 100 ) includes a radiation source ( 110 ) and a radiation sensitive detector array ( 116 ), which includes a scintillator array ( 118 ) and a photosensor array ( 120 ) optically coupled to the scintillator array, wherein the scintillator array includes Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce. A method includes detecting radiation with a radiation sensitive detector array ( 116 ) of an imaging system ( 100 ), wherein the radiation sensitive detector array includes a Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce based scintillator array ( 118 ). A radiation sensitive detector array ( 116 ) includes a scintillator array ( 118 ) and a photosensor array ( 120 ) optically coupled to the scintillator array, wherein the scintillator array includes Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce, and an amount of Tb 3+ in the Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce is equal to or less than two hundred mole parts per million.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging system, comprising:
a radiation source; and
a radiation sensitive detector array, including:
a scintillator array; and
a photosensor array optically coupled to the scintillator array, wherein the scintillator array includes Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce, wherein the amount of the Tb 3+ is equal to or less than fifty mole parts per million.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce includes Tb 3+ in an amount in which a light output of the scintillator is below a predetermined light output threshold at a predetermined decay time.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the amount of the Tb 3+ is equal to or less than ten mole parts per million.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the light output is approximately 53,000 photon/MeV.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator array includes a composite material.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator array includes a ceramic material.

7. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein a light efficiency of the scintillator array is approximately thirty three percent greater than a configuration in which the scintillator array does not include the Tb 3+ .

8. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is a computed tomography scanner.

9. A method, comprising:
detecting radiation with a radiation sensitive detector array of an imaging system, wherein the radiation sensitive detector array includes a Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce based scintillator array and the amount of the Tb 3+ is equal to or less than ten mole parts per million.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce includes Tb 3+ in an amount in which a light output of the scintillator is below a predetermined light output threshold at a predetermined decay time.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the amount of the Tb 3+ is equal to or less than ten mole parts per million.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the light output is approximately 46,700 photon/MeV.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the scintillator array includes one of a composite material or a ceramic material.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein a light efficiency of the scintillator array is approximately thirty three percent greater than a configuration in which the scintillator array does not include the Tb 3+ .

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system is a computed tomography scanner.

16. A radiation sensitive detector array, comprising:
scintillator array; and
a photosensor array optically coupled to the scintillator array, wherein the scintillator array includes Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce, and an amount of Tb 3+ in the Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce is equal to or less than ten mole parts per million.

17. The detector array of claim 16 , wherein Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Tb,Ce includes Tb 3+ in an amount in which a light output of the scintillator is below a predetermined light output threshold at a predetermined decay time.

18. The detector array of claim 16 , wherein the scintillator array includes a composite material or a ceramic material.

19. The detector array of claim 16 , wherein a light efficiency of the scintillator array is approximately thirty three percent greater than a configuration in which the scintillator array does not include the Tb 3+ .

20. The detector array of claim 16 , wherein the imaging system is a computed tomography scanner.

Assignees

• Ronda Cornelis Reinder
• Conrads Norbert
• Ohland Henning
• Schreinemacher Herbert
• Koninkl Philips Nv

Inventors

• Ronda Cornelis Reinder
• Conrads Norbert
• Ohland Henning
• Schreinemacher Herbert

Classifications

• G01T1/2006 Primary

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

• C09K11/7771 Primary

  Oxysulfides · CPC title

• G21K4/00

  Conversion screens for the conversion of the spatial distribution of X-rays or particle radiation into visible images, e.g. fluoroscopic screens (photographic processes using X-ray intensifiers G03C5/17; discharge tubes comprising luminescent screens H01J1/62; cathode ray tubes for X-ray conversion with optical output H01J31/50) · CPC title

• G01N23/046

  using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• G01T1/2023

  Selection of materials · CPC title