Detector module for an emission tomography scanner
An emission tomography detector module and an emission tomography scanner are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the emission tomography detector modules includes a scintillator to capture an photon, the scintillator emitting a scintillating light on capturing the photon; a first type of solid-state photodetector to detect the scintillating light; and a second type of solid-state photodetector to detect the scintillating light, wherein the first type of solid-state photodetector and the second type of solid-state photodetector are different with respect to a detecting property.
1. An emission tomography detector module, comprising:
a scintillator to capture a photon, the scintillator emitting a scintillating light upon capturing the photon;
a first type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light; and
a second type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light, the first type of solid-state photodetector and the second type of solid-state photodetector being different with respect to a detecting property.
2. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting property is a frequency response characteristic.
3. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , wherein the first type of solid-state photodetector is an avalanche photodiode.
4. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , wherein the second type of solid-state photodetector is a silicon photomultiplier.
5. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , wherein the first type of solid-state photodetector and the second type of solid-state photodetector are optically coupled to the scintillator.
6. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a signal processing unit to combine an output signal of the first type of solid-state photodetector and an output signal of the second type of solid-state photodetector to form a combined output signal, the combined output signal being indicative for the photon captured by the scintillator.
7. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 6 , wherein the output signal of the first type of solid-state photodetector is used to discriminate photons based on their energy.
8. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 6 , wherein the output signal of the second type of solid-state photodetector is used for determining an incidence time of the photon.
9. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of the first type of solid-state photodetectors, arranged around the second type of solid-state photodetector.
10. An emission tomography scanner, comprising:
a pair of emission tomography detector modules, each of the pair of emission tomography detector modules including
a scintillator to capture a photon, the scintillator emitting a scintillating light upon capturing the photon;
a first type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light; and
a second type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light, the first type of solid-state photodetector and the second type of solid-state photodetector being different with respect to a detecting property.
11. The emission tomography scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the detecting property is a frequency response characteristic.
12. The emission tomography scanner according to claim 10 , further comprising:
an evaluation unit to evaluate signals from the pair of emission tomography detector modules, the evaluation unit being adapted to detect a coincidence event of a pair of captured photons.
13. The emission tomography scanner according to claim 12 , wherein the evaluation unit is adapted to determine a segment on a line of coincidence, the line of coincidence connecting the pair of emission tomography detector modules, wherein the segment is determined using a time difference of incidence of a photon pair on the pair of emission tomography detector modules.
14. The emission tomography scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the first type of solid-state detector is an avalanche photodiode and the second type of solid-state detector is a silicon photomultiplier.
15. A combined emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:
a MRI scanner including a magnet system for generating a magnetic field for inducing nuclear magnetic resonance signals from nuclei of a subject to be imaged within a field of view of the MRI scanner; and
an emission tomography detector module, the emission tomography detector module including
a scintillator to capture a photon, the scintillator emitting a scintillating light upon capturing the photon;
a first type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light; and
a second type of solid-state photodetector to detect the emitted scintillating light, the first type of solid-state photodetector and the second type of solid-state photodetector being different with respect to a detecting property.
16. The combined emission tomography and MRI apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the emission tomography detector module is positioned within the magnetic field of the MRI scanner.
17. The combined emission tomography and MRI apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the detecting property is a frequency response characteristic.
18. The combined emission tomography and MRI apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first type of solid-state photodetector is an avalanche photodiode and the second type of solid-state photodetector is a silicon photomultiplier.
19. The combined emission tomography and MRI apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising:
an evaluation unit to evaluate signals from a pair of the emission tomography detector modules, the evaluation unit being adapted to detect a coincidence event of a pair of photons.
20. The combined emission tomography and MRI apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the evaluation unit is adapted to determine a segment on a line of coincidence, the line of coincidence connecting the pair of emission tomography detector modules, wherein the segment is determined using a time difference of incidence of a photon pair on the pair of emission tomography detector modules.
21. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 3 , wherein the second type of solid-state photodetector is a silicon photomultiplier.
22. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 7 , wherein the output signal of the second type of solid-state photodetector is used for determining an incidence time of the photon.
23. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , wherein the first type of solid-state photodetector includes a plurality of first type of solid-state photodetectors and wherein the second type of solid-state photodetector includes a plurality of second type of solid-state photodetectors, the plurality of first type of solid-state photodetectors being arranged around the plurality of second type of solid-state photodetectors.
24. The emission tomography detector module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of the first type of solid-state photodetectors, arranged around a plurality of the second type of solid-state photodetectors.