Radiation detection apparatus, method of manufacturing the same, and imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568614-B2
Application number	US-201313895537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2013
Priority date	Jun 20, 2012
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A radiation detection apparatus comprises a sensor panel including a plurality of sensor units which detect radiation and are arrayed, each of the plurality of sensor units comprising a pixel array including a plurality of pixels which detect light and are two-dimensionally arranged, a scintillator layer which converts radiation into light, and a first scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the scintillator layer, and the radiation detection apparatus further comprising a second scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the plurality of sensor units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation detection apparatus comprising:
a sensor panel in which a plurality of sensor units which detect radiation are arrayed,
wherein each of the plurality of sensor units includes
a substrate including a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels which detect light are two-dimensionally arranged,
a scintillator layer, which converts radiation into light, provided on the pixel array of the substrate, and
a first scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the scintillator layer, wherein the scintillator layer is surrounded by both the substrate and the first scintillator protective layer, the first scintillator protective layer being one of a plurality of first scintillator protective layers corresponding to the plurality of sensor units; and
a second scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the plurality of first scintillator protective layers of the plurality of sensor units, the second scintillator protective layer, on or above the plurality of first scintillator protective layers, extending over the plurality of first scintillator protective layers and across a boundary between one first scintillator protective layer and its neighboring first scintillator protective layer.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensor units include a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit which are adjacent to each other, and
letting p be a pitch of the pixels in the pixel array, t1 be a thickness of the first scintillator protective layer, g be a distance between the pixel array of the first sensor unit and the pixel array of the second sensor unit, and L be a distance from a center of the pixel, in the pixel array of the first sensor unit, which is disposed at a position closest to the second sensor unit, to a center of the pixel, in the pixel array of the second sensor unit, which is disposed at a position closest to the pixel,
t 1≦½× g and L≦ 3/2× p.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first scintillator protective layer of each of the plurality of sensor units has a thickness smaller than that of the second scintillator protective layer.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of sensor units include a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit which are adjacent to each other, and
the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit are disposed such that the first scintillator protective layer of the first sensor unit and the first scintillator protective layer of the second sensor unit are in contact with each other throughout side surfaces thereof, without the second scintillator protective layer being sandwiched between the side surfaces,
the scintillator layer being one of a plurality of scintillator layers corresponding to the plurality of sensor units,
each of the plurality of first scintillator protective layers protecting the corresponding scintillator layer to prevent its deterioration during a manufacturing process for the radiation detection apparatus, and
the second scintillator protective layer protecting the plurality of scintillator layers to prevent their deterioration after the manufacturing process for the radiation detection apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflection layer disposed between the sensor panel and the second scintillator protective layer, the reflection layer being integrally formed on entire upper surfaces of the plurality of sensor units.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a base which supports the plurality of sensor units and an adhesion layer which fixes the plurality of sensor units to the base,
wherein the second scintillator protective layer is disposed to cover at least a boundary between the adhesion layer and the sensor unit, the adhesion layer, a boundary between the adhesion layer and the base, the plurality of first scintillator protective of the plurality of sensor units, and a boundary between the reflection layer and the plurality of first scintillator protective layers of the plurality of sensor units.

7. An imaging system comprising:
a radiation detection apparatus a signal processing unit which processes a signal from the radiation detection apparatus;
a display unit which displays a signal from the signal processing unit; and
a radiation source which generates the radiation,
wherein the radiation detection apparatus comprises:
a sensor panel in which a plurality of sensor units which detect radiation are arrayed,
wherein each of the plurality of sensor units includes
a substrate including a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels which detect light are two-dimensionally arranged,
a scintillator layer, which converts radiation into light, provided on the pixel array of the substrate, and
a first scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the scintillator layer, wherein the scintillator layer is surrounded by both the substrate and the first scintillator protective layer, the first scintillator protective layer being one of a plurality of first scintillator protective layers corresponding to the plurality of sensor units; and

a second scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the plurality of first scintillator protective layers of the plurality of sensor units, the second scintillator protective layer, on or above the plurality of first scintillator protective layers, extending over the plurality of first scintillator protective layers and across a boundary between one first scintillator protective layer and its neighboring first scintillator protective layer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reflection layer which is disposed on the sensor panel and integrally formed on entire upper surfaces of the plurality of sensor units; and
a base disposed on the reflection layer,
wherein the second scintillator protective layer covers the plurality of first scintillator protective layers of the plurality of sensor units, the reflection layer and the base.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein, for each of the plurality of sensor units, a bottom face of the base is not covered with the first scintillator protective layer and is covered with the second scintillator protective layer.

10. A radiation detection apparatus comprising:
a plurality of substrates, each including a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels which detect light are two-dimensionally arranged;
a plurality of scintillator layers, which convert radiation into light, provided on the plurality of substrates, respectively;
a plurality of first scintillator protective layers disposed to cover the plurality of scintillator layers, respectively, wherein each of the plurality of scintillator layers is surrounded by the corresponding substrate and the corresponding first scintillator protective layer, and wherein each of the plurality of first scintillator protective layers protects the corresponding scintillator layer to prevent its deterioration during a manufacturing process for the radiation detection apparatus; and
a second scintillator protective layer disposed to cover the plurality of first scintillator protective layers, wherein the second scintillator protective layer, on or above the plurality of first scintillator protective layers, extends over the plurality of first scintillator protective layers and across a boundary between one first scintillator protective layer and its neighboring first scintillator protective layer, and wherein the second scintillator protective layer protects the plurality of scintillator layers to prevent their deterioration after the manufacturing process for the radiation detection apparatus.

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Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ishida Yohei
• Okada Satoshi
• Nagano Kazumi
• Saruta Shoshiro
• Nomura Keiichi

Classifications

• H01L31/02322

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01T1/2018

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title

• G01T1/2006 Primary

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

• H01L31/115

  Electricity · mapped topic