DxRay (United States)

Energy discriminating, photon-counting detectors (PCDs) are an emerging technology for computed tomography (CT) with various potential benefits for clinical CT. The photon energies measured by PCDs can be distorted due to the interactions of a photon with the detector and the interaction of multiple coincident photons. These effects result in distorted recorded x-ray spectra which may lead to artifacts in reconstructed CT images and inaccuracies in tissue identification. Model-based compensation techniques have the potential to account for the distortion effects. This approach requires only a small number of parameters and is applicable to a wide range of spectra and count rates, but it needs an accurate model of the spectral distortions occurring in PCDs. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of those spectral distortions and to evaluate the model using a PCD (model DXMCT-1; DxRay, Inc., Northridge, CA) and various x-ray spectra in a wide range of count rates. The authors hypothesize that the complex phenomena of spectral distortions can be modeled by: (1) separating them into count-rate independent factors that we call the spectral response effects (SRE), and count-rate dependent factors that we call the pulse pileup effects (PPE), (2) developing separate models for SRE and PPE, and (3) cascading the SRE and PPE models into a combined SRE+PPE model that describes PCD distortions at both low and high count rates. The SRE model describes the probability distribution of the recorded spectrum, with a photo peak and a continuum tail, given the incident photon energy. Model parameters were obtained from calibration measurements with three radioisotopes and then interpolated linearly for other energies. The PPE model used was developed in the authors' previous work [K. Taguchi et al., "Modeling the performance of a photon counting x-ray detector for CT: Energy response and pulse pileup effects," Med. Phys. 38(2), 1089-1102 (2011)]. The agreement between the x-ray spectra calculated by the cascaded SRE+PPE model and the measured spectra was evaluated for various levels of deadtime loss ratios (DLR) and incident spectral shapes, realized using different attenuators, in terms of the weighted coefficient of variation (COVW), i.e., the root mean square difference weighted by the statistical errors of the data and divided by the mean. At low count rates, when DLR < 10%, the distorted spectra measured by the DXMCT-1 were in agreement with those calculated by SRE only, with COVW's less than 4%. At higher count rates, the measured spectra were also in agreement with the ones calculated by the cascaded SRE+PPE model; with PMMA as attenuator, COVW was 5.6% at a DLR of 22% and as small as 6.7% for a DLR as high as 55%. The x-ray spectra calculated by the proposed model agreed with the measured spectra over a wide range of count rates and spectral shapes. The SRE model predicted the distorted, recorded spectra with low count rates over various types and thicknesses of attenuators. The study also validated the hypothesis that the complex spectral distortions in a PCD can be adequately modeled by cascading the count-rate independent SRE and the count-rate dependent PPE.

We have fabricated fast room-temperature energy dispersive photon counting x-ray imaging arrays using pixellated cadmium zinc (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductors. We have also fabricated fast application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with a two dimensional (2D) array of inputs for readout from the CdZnTe sensors. The new CdTe and CdZnTe sensors have a 2D array of pixels with a 0.5 mm pitch and can be tiled in 2D. The new 2D ASICs have four energy discriminators per pixel with a linear energy response across the entire dynamic range for clinical CT. The ASICs can also be tiled in 2D and are designed to fit within the active area of the 2D sensors. We have measured several important performance parameters including; an output count rate (OCR) in excess of 20 million counts per second per square mm, an energy resolution of 7 keV full width at half maximum (FWHM) across the entire dynamic range, and a noise floor less than 20 keV. This is achieved by directly interconnecting the ASIC inputs to the pixels of the CdTE and CdZnTe sensors incurring very little additional capacitance. We present a comparison of the performance of the CdTe and CdZnTe sensors including the OCR, FWHM energy resolution, and noise floor.

Photon counting detectors are an emerging technology for spectral computed tomography. They have the potential to improve tissue contrast and specificity, reduce dose, and enable novel applications for K-edge and functional imaging. In this presentation various non-linear distortions were investigated that affect the image quality in photon-counting spectral CT: deadtime losses and spectral response, inherent to the new technology, and beam hardening artifacts that stem from the use of a polychromatic x-ray source. These effects were corrected or compensated for by performing calibration measurements. Techniques from material decomposition were applied to reconstruct images at a desired energy. Two methods were compared to synthesize a single monoenergetic image from photon counting data with multiple energy bins. The parameters were optimized to maximize a given image quality index. The procedures were evaluated on phantom data acquired on an experimental CT scanner with photon-counting detectors with two energy thresholds.

Developments in room temperature cadmium telluride (CdTe) based solid state imaging arrays for energy-resolved photon-counting in medical x-ray imaging are discussed. A number of x-ray imaging applications can benefit from these developments including mammography, radiography, and computed tomography (CT). Energy-resolved photon-counting can provide reduced dose through optimal energy weighting, compositional analysis through multiple basis function material decomposition, and contrast enhancement through spectroscopic x-ray imaging of metal nanoparticles. Extremely high flux can occur in x-ray imaging and energy integrating detectors have been conventionally used. To achieve the benefits of energy resolved photon counting, imaging arrays with a large count rate range and good detection efficiency are required. Compound semiconductor radiation detectors with pixellated anode arrays electrically connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can provide fast, efficient, low-noise performance with adequate energy resolution however this can only be achieved with a careful optimization of the CdTe sensors and ASICs together. We have designed and constructed CdTe imaging arrays, 3 mm thick with a grid of electrical contacts inter-connected to a multi-channel channel ASICs. Arrays with a pixel pitch of 0.5 mm have achieved a counting range up to 20 million counts per second per square mm. Additionally, ASICs with a two dimensional array of pads has been fabricated and tested by connecting the inputs to 1 mm pitch CdTe sensors demonstrating 7 keV full width at half maximum energy resolution across a dynamic range of 30 keV to 140 keV for clinical CT.

Photon counting x-ray detectors (PCXDs) are an emerging technology in x-ray computed tomography (CT) as they have the potential to overcome some of the most significant limitations of current CT with energy integrating detectors. Among these are: insufficient tissue contrast, relatively high radiation dose, tissue non-specificity, and the non-quantitative nature. In contrast, CT with PCXDs has shown promise in producing higher contrast, tissue specific, quantitative images at lower dose. Novel applications for PCXDs include k-edge and functional imaging and material decomposition. A limiting factor, however, is the high photon flux that occurs in clinical applications resulting in signal pulse pile up in the detector. Faster detectors and new strategies for data corrections and image reconstruction algorithms are needed to overcome these limitations. A research tabletop x-ray CT scanner was developed with the following aims: 1) to characterize and calibrate the PCXD; 2) to acquire CT projection data under conditions similar to those of clinical CT; and 3) to reconstruct images using correction schemes specific for PCXDs. The scanner employs a commercial clinical x-ray tube, a PCXD with two energy thresholds, and allows scanning of objects of up to 40 cm in diameter. This paper presents measurements of detector quantities crucial for data corrections and calibration, such as energy response, deadtime, and count rates. Reconstructed CT images are presented and qualitative results from material decomposition are shown.

Polycrystalline mercuric iodide (HgI <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> ) films have great potential as direct-conversion x-ray detectors for digital x-ray imaging. The basic characteristics of HgI <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> , such as stopping power, mobility-lifetime product, and mean energy to create an electron-hole pair, are superior to or equivalent with those of other direct converters such as amorphous Se, PbI <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> , and CZT. Single-crystal HgI <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> detectors have demonstrated excellent energy resolution and detection efficiency, and polycrystalline film performance has been approaching that of single crystals over the last few years. We have created high-resolution x-ray imaging devices using polycrystalline films grown directly onto CMOS readout chips using a thermal vapor transport process. The use of CMOS technology allows small pixels, fast readout speeds, and cost-effective devices due to well-developed fabrication processes.

The Scanning-Beam Digital X-ray (SBDX) system utilizes a scanning x-ray pencil beam and a small-area detector array for low-dose cardiac angiography with tomographic imaging capabilities. For the system to provide adequate signal-to-noise ratios, the multi-element detector must be highly efficient and capable of high photon count rates. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is well suited to these purposes. The CdTe SBDX detector is a direct-conversion photon-counting device consisting of 2304 elements. The efficiency of the detector is a function of several factors including the incident photon energy, the fluorescence properties of CdTe, and the discriminator threshold that determines whether sufficient energy was deposited in an element to register a count. For maximum efficiency, the discriminator threshold must be set low enough to detect CdTe k-fluorescence photons (23-31 keV), but not so low as to register false counts from electronic noise. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the energy-dependent quantum detective efficiency (QDE) of a new lower-noise SBDX detector design and to determine whether adequately low thresholds can be achieved. Experiments were performed using metal fluorescer foils to generate quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams with energies of 17.5, 25.3, and 46.0 keV. The resulting spectral purities were high, although fluence rates were low. The measured QDE values at 17.5, 25.3, and 46.0 keV were 60%, 76%, and 86% repsectively.