Balázs Játékos

SPADnet: A fully digital, networked approach to MRI compatible PET systems based on deep-submicron CMOS technology

This paper is the first comprehensive presentation of the SPADnet concept. SPADnet is a fully digital, networked MRI compatible time-of-flight PET system, exploiting the speed and integration density of deep-submicron CMOS technologies. The core enabling technologies of SPADnet are a sensor device comprising an array of 8×16 pixels, each composed of 4 mini-SiPMs with in situ time-to-digital conversion, a multi-ring network to filter, carry, and process data produced by the sensor devices at 2Gbps, and a 130nm CMOS process enabling mass-production of photonic modules that are optically interfaced to scintillator crystals. The SPADnet photonic modules comprise a matrix of tightly packed sensor devices; each module is networked in multiple rings, where coincidence pairs are identified and readily used in reconstruction algorithms, enabling scalable, MRI compatible pre-clinical PET systems for multi-modal imaging.

First characterization of the SPADnet sensor: a digital silicon photomultiplier for PET applications

Silicon Photomultipliers have the ability to replace photomultiplier tubes when used as light sensors in scintillation gamma-ray detectors. Their timing properties, compactness, and magnetic field compatibility make them interesting for use in Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Imaging compatible Positron Emission Tomography. In this paper, we present a new fully digital Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) based detector fabricated in CMOS image sensor technol- ogy. It contains 16x8 pixels with a pitch of 610x571.2 mm 2 .

Evaluation of light extraction from PET detector modules using gamma equivalent UV excitation

Monolithic scintillator-based PET detector modules offer depth of interaction capability and lower price relative to conventional pixelated crystal detectors. However, making such constructions poses several problems that affect light extraction efficiency and accuracy of position determination. In this work we examine potential detector geometries proposed to solve these problems. The geometries were tested by our novel measurement method that utilizes point-like excitation of the scintillator. With the applied methods we successfully increased the light extraction with a factor of two relative to a conventional monolithic PET detector. The measurements were compared to results of complete optical CAD models of the investigated arrangements. We concluded that our optical CAD tool can be used to further optimize the current constructions.

Characterization of MRI-compatible PET detector modules by optical excitation of the scintillator material

In the field of biomedical imaging there is a strong interest in combining modalities of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI-compatible PET detector module has to be insensitive to the magnetic field that is why it needs to incorporate avalanche photodiodes (APD) or silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). We propose a new purely optical characterization method for these devices where no nuclear source is needed. In our method we use LED sources for both the direct illumination of silicon sensors and fluorescent excitation of the scintillator material. With this method we can measure the response characteristic and uniformity of pixels in sensor arrays as well as the optical cross-talk between neighboring pixels. In the same experimental setup we can also emulate the pulse response of the detector module (i.e. light-spread over the sensor array from a point source in the scintillator material). We present the detailed construction of the experimental setup and analyze the benefits and drawbacks of this method compared to the nuclear measurements. The viability of the idea is proven through the characterization of a SiPM array and a block detector module based on it.

Simulation tool for optical design of PET detector modules including scintillator material and sensor array

The appearance of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in the field of PET detector modules made it necessary to apply more complex optical design methods to refine the performance of such assemblies. We developed a combined simulation tool that is capable to model complex detector structures including scintillation material, light guide, light collection optics and sensor, correctly taking into account the statistical behavior of emission of scintillation light and its absorbance in SPADs. As a validation we compared simulation results obtained by our software and another optical design program. Calculations were performed for a simple PET detector arrangement used for testing purposes. According to the results, deviation of center of gravity coordinates between the two simulations is 0.0195 mm, the average ratio of total counts 1.0052. We investigated the error resulting from finite sampling in wavelength space and we found that 20 nm pitch is sufficient for the simulation in case of the given spectral dependencies.

Validated simulation for LYSO:Ce scintillator based PET detector modules built on fully digital SiPM arrays

In the recent years new digital photon counter devices (also known as silicon photomultipliers, SiPMs) were designed and manufactured to be used specifically in positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. These finely pixelated devices opened new opportunities in PET detector development, hence their application with monolithic scintillator crystals now are of particular interest. We worked out a simulation tool and a corresponding validation method to assist the optimization and characterization of such PET detector modules. During our work we concentrated on the simulation of SPADnet sensors and the LYSO:Ce scintillator material. Validation of our algorithms combines measurements and simulations performed on UV-excited detector modules. In this paper we describe the operation of the simulation method in detail and present the validation scheme for two demonstrative PET detector-like modules: one built of a scintillator with black-painted faces and another with polished faces. By evaluating the results we show that the shape deviation of the average light distributions is lower than 13%, and the pixel count statistics follow Poisson distribution for both measurement and simulation. The calculated total count values have less than 10% deviation from the measured ones.

Gamma-photon equivalent UV excitation of LYSO:Ce scintillator material

In positron emission tomography (PET) slab scintillator crystals based detector modules are subject of intensive research, because all the three coordinates of the scintillation (point of interaction, POI) can be determined by them. Experimental evaluation of these detectors is done by using collimated γ-radiation where only two of the three spatial coordinates can be controlled. Alternatively, highly-detailed simulations can be used to evaluate detector performance as a function of POI, but their validation requires again experimental techniques. We propose a model validation method based on point-like, UV excitation of LYSO:Ce scintillators. The excited fluorescent pulses are identical in many respects to a scintillation excited by γ-photons. We discuss the details of our γ equivalent UV excitation arrangement, as well as compare the characteristics of the resulting fluorescence to those of scintillation light.

SPADnet: a fully digital, scalable, and networked photonic component for time-of-flight PET applications

The SPADnet FP7 European project is aimed at a new generation of fully digital, scalable and networked photonic components to enable large area image sensors, with primary target gamma-ray and coincidence detection in (Time-of- Flight) Positron Emission Tomography (PET). SPADnet relies on standard CMOS technology, therefore allowing for MRI compatibility. SPADnet innovates in several areas of PET systems, from optical coupling to single-photon sensor architectures, from intelligent ring networks to reconstruction algorithms. It is built around a natively digital, intelligent SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode)-based sensor device which comprises an array of 8×16 pixels, each composed of 4 mini-SiPMs with in situ time-to-digital conversion, a multi-ring network to filter, carry, and process data produced by the sensors at 2Gbps, and a 130nm CMOS process enabling mass-production of photonic modules that are optically interfaced to scintillator crystals. A few tens of sensor devices are tightly abutted on a single PCB to form a so-called sensor tile, thanks to TSV (Through Silicon Via) connections to their backside (replacing conventional wire bonding). The sensor tile is in turn interfaced to an FPGA-based PCB on its back. The resulting photonic module acts as an autonomous sensing and computing unit, individually detecting gamma photons as well as thermal and Compton events. It determines in real time basic information for each scintillation event, such as exact time of arrival, position and energy, and communicates it to its peers in the field of view. Coincidence detection does therefore occur directly in the ring itself, in a differed and distributed manner to ensure scalability. The selected true coincidence events are then collected by a snooper module, from which they are transferred to an external reconstruction computer using Gigabit Ethernet.

Integrated optical and nuclear simulation of a monolithic LYSO:Ce based PET detector module

In the recent years new digital photon counter devices (also known as silicon photomultipliers, SiPMs) were designed and manufactured to be used specifically in positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. Finely pixelated SiPM arrays have opened new opportunities in PET detector development, such as the utilization of monolithic scintillator crystals. We worked out a simulation tool (SCOPE2) to assist the optimization and characterization of such PET detector modules. In the present paper we report the first application of SCOPE2 on the performance evaluation of a prototype PET detector module. The PET detector is based on monolithic LYSO:Ce scintillator crystal and a fully digital, silicon photon-counter, SPADnet-I. A new interface has been developed for SCOPE2 to access GATE simulation results. A combination of GATE and SCOPE2 was used to simulate excitation of the prototype PET detector with an electronically collimated γ -beam. Measurement results from the collimated γ-beam experiment were compared with the combined simulation. A good agreement was observed in the tendencies of total count spectrum and point of interaction distribution. We used the performance evaluation to understand and explain the measurement results in detail.

Updates from the SPADnet project (fully digital, scalable and networked photonic component for Time-of-Flight PET applications)

SPADnet is aimed at a new generation of fully digital, scalable and networked photonic components to enable large area image sensors, with primary target gamma-ray and coincidence detection in (Time-of-Flight) PET. The SPADnet photonic module, which lies at the heart of the concept, is built around an array of tessellated single-photon TSV sensor chips, manufactured in standard CMOS technology. The resulting sensor tile is connected on the back to an FPGA-based data processing and communication unit, whereas its front size is glued to scintillator crystals. The resulting modules are then connected in a token ring structure to form the actual PET system. Coincidence detection occurs directly in the ring itself, in a differed and distributed manner to ensure scalability. We have fabricated and tested the first version of the SPADnet photosensor, a fully digital CMOS SiPM with 8×16 pixels individually capable of photon time stamping and energy accumulation, together with the corresponding sensor tiles. The sensor also provides a real-time output of the total detected energy at up to 100Msamples/s and on-chip discrimination of gamma events. These events can then be routed to the SPADnet ring network, which operates at 2 Gbps providing real-time processing and coincidence determination; this architecture simplifies the construction of the overall system and allows the scaling of the system to larger arrays of detectors. This may result in better and faster image reconstruction. SPADnet will not only impact PET scalability but also performance robustness and cost; another advantage is the capability of being compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thus prompting advances in multimodal imaging and medical diagnostics as a whole. SPADnet is being designed with scalability in mind, with the idea of being able to redeploy at reduced effort the SPADnet photonic module in other configurations such as brain PET.