Gamma ray camera

Patent · 31 December 1996

OSTI ID:870794

Perez-Mendez, Victor ^[1]

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1. Berkeley, CA

A gamma ray camera for detecting rays emanating from a radiation source such as an isotope. The gamma ray camera includes a sensor array formed of a visible light crystal for converting incident gamma rays to a plurality of corresponding visible light photons, and a photosensor array responsive to the visible light photons in order to form an electronic image of the radiation therefrom. The photosensor array is adapted to record an integrated amount of charge proportional to the incident gamma rays closest to it, and includes a transparent metallic layer, photodiode consisting of a p-i-n structure formed on one side of the transparent metallic layer, and comprising an upper p-type layer, an intermediate layer and a lower n-type layer. In the preferred mode, the scintillator crystal is composed essentially of a cesium iodide (CsI) crystal preferably doped with a predetermined amount impurity, and the p-type upper intermediate layers and said n-type layer are essentially composed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The gamma ray camera further includes a collimator interposed between the radiation source and the sensor array, and a readout circuit formed on one side of the photosensor array.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• Assignee: Regents, University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5596198
• OSTI ID: 870794
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/250/
a-si
adapted
amorphous
amorphous silicon
amount
array
camera
cesium
cesium iodide
charge
circuit
circuit form
circuit formed
closest
collimator
composed
composed essentially
comprising
consisting
converting
corresponding
crystal
csi
detecting
doped
electronic
electronic image
emanating
essentially
form
formed
gamma
gamma ray
gamma rays
hydrogenated
hydrogenated amorphous
image
impurity
incident
incident gamma
integrated
intermediate
intermediate layer
intermediate layers
interposed
iodide
isotope
layer
layers
light
metallic
metallic layer
mode
n-type
n-type layer
p-i-n
p-type
p-type layer
photodiode
photons
photosensor
plurality
predetermined
predetermined amount
preferably
preferred
preferred mode
proportional
radiation
radiation source
ray
ray camera
rays
readout
readout circuit
record
responsive
scintillator
sensor
sensor array
silicon
source
structure
structure formed
therefrom
transparent
transparent metal
upper
visible
visible light