Implementation of colored wavelength shifters in phoswich detectors

US8148697B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Florian Bauer · Friedberg, DE
• Lars A. Eriksson · Oak Ridge, US
• Ronald Grazioso · Knoxville, US
• Charles L. Melcher · Oak Ridge, US
• Harold E. Rothfuss · Knoxville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 29, 2009
• Grant date: Apr 3, 2012
• Expiry date: Dec 17, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01T1/2008
• WIPO field: Environmental technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A phoswich device for determining depth of interaction (DOI) includes a first scintillator having a first scintillation decay time characteristic, a second scintillator having a second scintillation decay time characteristic substantially equal to the first scintillation decay time, a photodetector coupled to the second scintillator, and a wavelength shifting layer coupled between the first scintillator and the second scintillator, wherein the wavelength shifting layer modifies the first scintillation decay time characteristic of the first scintillator to enable the photodetector to differentiate between the first decay time characteristic and the second decay time characteristic. The phoswich device is particularly applicable to positron emission tomography (PET) applications.