Fast-Timing Silicon Drift Photodetectors for PET

26 Fast-Timing Silicon Drift Photodetectors for PET--Photon Imaging, Inc., 19355 Business Center Drive, Suite #8, Northridge, CA 91324; (818) 709-2468 Dr. Bradley E. Patt, Principal Investigator Dr. Jan S. Iwanczyk, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-97ER82451 Amount: $74,942 This project will develop a novel solid-state imaging device for positron emission imaging to eliminate the need for photomultiplier tubes and allow for integration of electronics with the detector. This improvement will lead to specialized, dedicated lower cost systems for Positron Emission Tomography (PET). To accomplish this, a new type of detector module will be developed that consists of arrays of lutetium orthosilicate scintillation crystals coupled to a new type of silicon photodetector array specifically designed to provide the excellent energy and timing resolution needed. In Phase I the detector structures will be designed, fabricated, and evaluated. They will also be optimized for low noise, high quantum efficiency, and fast signal speed. In Phase II the optimized detector units incorporating specialized processing electronics will be developed and tested, and a prototype breast imager will be built and evaluated using realistic phantoms. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A dedicated imaging system employing two imaging planes has applications for use with specialized positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals for detection of breast cancer. Such a system would have the potential to be 20 times more sensitive than a full PET system and have large improvements in count rate and spatial resolution. This system would have a large market potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for breast cancer._