Garnet scintillator composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777214-B2
Application number	US-201414915282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A ceramic or polycrystalline scintillator composition is represented by the formula (Lu y Gd 3-y )(Ga x Al 5-x )O 12 :Ce; wherein y=1±0.5; wherein x=3±0.25; and wherein Ce is in the range 0.01 mol % to 0.7 mol %. The scintillator composition finds application in the sensitive detection of ionizing radiation and may for example be used in the detection of gamma photons in the field of PET imaging.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ceramic or polycrystalline garnet scintillator composition represented by the formula (Lu y Gd 3-y )(Ga x Al 5-x )O 12 :Ce;
wherein y=1±0.5;
wherein x=3±0.25; and
wherein Ce is in the range 0.01 mol % to 0.7 mol %.

2. The scintillator composition of claim 1 wherein Ce is in the range 0.05 mol % to 0.7 mol %.

3. The scintillator composition of claim 1 wherein Ce is in the range 0.1 mol % to 0.7 mol %.

4. The scintillator composition of claim 1 wherein Ce is in the range 0.05 mol % to 0.2 mol %.

5. The scintillator composition of claim 1 wherein Ce is in the range 0.1 mol % to 0.2 mol %.

6. The scintillator composition of claim 4 having a primary decay constant of less than or equal to 55 ns.

7. A ceramic or polycrystalline scintillator composition represented by the formula (Lu y Gd 3-y )(Ga x Al 5-x )O 12 :Ce;
wherein y=1±0.5;
wherein x=3±0.25; and
wherein Ce is in the range 0.05 mol % to 0.2 mol %;
having a primary decay constant of less than or equal to 55 ns;
having a light yield exceeding 30000 photons/MeV.

8. A gamma photon detector comprising the scintillator composition according to claim 1 in optical communication with an optical detector.

9. A detector for detecting ionizing radiation comprising the scintillator composition according to claim 1 in optical communication with an optical detector.

10. A PET imaging system having an imaging region and comprising a plurality of gamma photon detectors according to claim 8 ;
wherein the plurality of gamma photon detectors are disposed radially about an axis of the imaging region and are configured to receive gamma photons from the imaging region.

11. A Time of Flight PET imaging system comprising
a plurality of gamma photon detectors disposed radially about an axis of the imaging region and configured to receive gamma photons from the imaging region, each gamma photon detector including a ceramic or polycrystalline garnet scintillator composition in optical communication with an optical detector, the ceramic or polycrystalline garnet scintillator composition represented by the formula (Lu y Gd 3-y )(Ga x Al 5-x )O 12 :Ce;
wherein y=1±0.5;
wherein x=3±0.25; and
wherein Ce is in the range 0.01 mol % to 0.7 mol %; and
timing circuitry configured to localize an originating position of a decay event in the imaging region by computing a time difference between pairs of gamma photons generated by the decay event and which are received substantially coincidently by the gamma photon detectors.

12. A PET imaging system according to claim 10 having a coincidence resolving time of less than 750 ns.

13. A combined imaging system comprising the imaging system of claim 10 and a second imaging system;
wherein the second imaging system has an imaging region that is either axially separated from an axis of the imaging region of the PET imaging system, or is coincident with the imaging region of the PET imaging system.

14. The combined imaging system of claim 13 wherein the second imaging system is a Computed Tomography, an MR or an Ultrasound imaging system.

15. A method of detecting a gamma photon comprising the steps of:
receiving a gamma photon with the scintillator composition according to claim 1 ;
detecting scintillation light generated by the scintillator composition using an optical detector in optical communication with the scintillator composition; and
generating an electrical output from the optical detector in response to the received gamma photon.

16. A method of generating a PET image indicative of the distribution of a radiotracer within an imaging region; the method comprising the steps of:
administering a radiotracer to a subject;
waiting for a predefined uptake period after administering the radiotracer; and
imaging at least a portion of the subject with the PET imaging system of claim 10 .

17. The scintillator composition of claim 4 wherein the composition is a sintered ceramic composition.

18. The scintillator composition of claim 4 having a light yield exceeding 30000 photons/MeV.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Wieczorek Herfried Karl
• Ronda Cornelis Reinder
• Boerekamp Jacobus Gerardus
• Van Dongen Anne-Marie Andree
• Spoor Sandra Johanna Maria Paula
• Buettner Daniela
• Keur Wilhelmus Cornelis

Classifications

• A61K51/00

  Preparations containing radioactive substances for use in therapy or testing in vivo · 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

• G01T1/2023

  Selection of materials · CPC title

• C09K11/7774 Primary

  Aluminates · CPC title

• G01T1/2018

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title