Bernd Menser

Analysis of lead oxide (PbO) layers for direct conversion X-ray detection

Lead oxide (PbO) is a candidate direct conversion material for medical X-ray applications. We produced various samples and detectors with thick PbO layers. X-ray performance data such as dark current, charge generation yield and temporal behavior were evaluated on small samples. The influence of the metal contacts was studied in detail. We also covered large a-Si thin-film transistor (TFT)-plates with PbO. Imaging results from a large detector with an active area of 18 cm /spl times/ 20 cm are presented. The detector has 960 /spl times/ 1080 pixels with a pixel pitch of 184 /spl mu/m. The modulation transfer function at the Nyquist frequency of 2.72 linepairs/mm is 50%. Finally, a full size X-ray image is presented.

PbO as direct conversion X-ray detector material

A flat X-ray detector with lead oxide (PbO) as direct conversion material has been developed. The material lead oxide, which has a very high X-ray absorption, was analysed in detail including Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. X-ray performance data such as dark current, charge yield and temporal behaviour were evaluated on small functional samples. A process to cover a-Si TFT-plates with PbO has been developed. We present imaging results from a large detector with an active area of 18 × 20 cm2. The detector has 1080 × 960 pixels with a pixel pitch of 184 μm. The linearity of detector response was verified. The NPS was determined with a total dark noise as low as 1800 electrons/pixel. The MTF was measured with two different methods: first with the analysis of a square wave phantom and second with a narrow slit. The MTF at the Nyquist frequency of 2.72 lp/mm was 50 %. We calculated first DQE values of our prototype detector plates. Full size images of anatomic and technical phantoms are shown.

X‐ray imaging performance of scintillator‐filled silicon pore arrays

The need for fine detail visibility in various applications such as dental imaging, mammography, but also neurology and cardiology, is the driver for intensive efforts in the development of new x-ray detectors. The spatial resolution of current scintillator layers is limited by optical diffusion. This limitation can be overcome by a pixelation, which prevents optical photons from crossing the interface between two neighboring pixels. In this work, an array of pores was etched in a silicon wafer with a pixel pitch of 50 microm. A very high aspect ratio was achieved with wall thicknesses of 4-7 microm and pore depths of about 400 microm. Subsequently, the pores were filled with Tl-doped cesium iodide (CsI:Tl) as a scintillator in a special process, which includes powder melting and solidification of the CsI. From the sample geometry and x-ray absorption measurement the pore fill grade was determined to be 75%. The scintillator-filled samples have a circular active area of 16 mm diameter. They are coupled with an optical sensor binned to the same pixel pitch in order to measure the x-ray imaging performance. The x-ray sensitivity, i.e., the light output per absorbed x-ray dose, is found to be only 2.5%-4.5% of a commercial CsI-layer of similar thickness, thus very low. The efficiency of the pores to transport the generated light to the photodiode is estimated to be in the best case 6.5%. The modulation transfer function is 40% at 4 lp/mm and 10%-20% at 8 lp/mm. It is limited most likely by the optical gap between scintillator and sensor and by K-escape quanta. The detective quantum efficiency (DQE) is determined at different beam qualities and dose settings. The maximum DQE(0) is 0.28, while the x-ray absorption with the given thickness and fill factor is 0.57. High Swank noise is suspected to be the reason, mainly caused by optical scatter inside the CsI-filled pores. The results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations of the photon transport inside the pore array structure. In addition, some x-ray images of technical and anatomical phantoms are shown. This work shows that scintillator-filled pore arrays can provide x-ray imaging with high spatial resolution, but are not suitable in their current state for most of the applications in medical imaging, where increasing the x-ray doses cannot be tolerated.

ITERATIVE SCATTER CORRECTION FOR GRID-LESS BEDSIDE CHEST RADIOGRAPHY: PERFORMANCE FOR A CHEST PHANTOM

The aim of this work was to experimentally compare the contrast improvement factors (CIFs) of a newly developed software-based scatter correction to the CIFs achieved by an antiscatter grid. To this end, three aluminium discs were placed in the lung, the retrocardial and the abdominal areas of a thorax phantom, and digital radiographs of the phantom were acquired both with and without a stationary grid. The contrast generated by the discs was measured in both images, and the CIFs achieved by grid usage were determined for each disc. Additionally, the non-grid images were processed with a scatter correction software. The contrasts generated by the discs were determined in the scatter-corrected images, and the corresponding CIFs were calculated. The CIFs obtained with the grid and with the software were in good agreement. In conclusion, the experiment demonstrates quantitatively that software-based scatter correction allows restoring the image contrast of a non-grid image in a manner comparable with an antiscatter grid.

A MONTE-CARLO SIMULATION FRAMEWORK FOR JOINT OPTIMISATION OF IMAGE QUALITY AND PATIENT DOSE IN DIGITAL PAEDIATRIC RADIOGRAPHY

In paediatric radiography, according to the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principle, the imaging task should be performed with the lowest possible radiation dose. This paper describes a Monte-Carlo simulation framework for dose optimisation of imaging parameters in digital paediatric radiography. Patient models with high spatial resolution and organ segmentation enable the simultaneous evaluation of image quality and patient dose on the same simulated radiographic examination. The accuracy of the image simulation is analysed by comparing simulated and acquired images of technical phantoms. As a first application example, the framework is applied to optimise tube voltage and pre-filtration in newborn chest radiography. At equal patient dose, the highest CNR is obtained with low-kV settings in combination with copper filtration.

Linear system models for lag in flat dynamic x-ray detectors

The detective quantum efficiency (DQE) is regarded as a suitable parameter to assess the global imaging performance of an x-ray detector. However, residual signals increase the signal-to-noise ratio and therefore artificially increase the measured DQE compared to a lag-free system. In this paper, the impact of lag on the DQE is described for two different sources of lag using linear system models. In addition to the commonly used temporal filtering model for trapping, an increase of the dark current is considered as another potential source of lag. It is shown that the assumed lag model has a crucial impact on the choice of an adequate lag estimation method. Examples are given using the direct conversion material PbO. It turns out that the most general approach is the evaluation of the temporal noise power spectrum. A new algorithm is proposed for the crucial issue of robustly estimating the power spectrum at frequency zero.

Use of beam shapers for cone-beam CT with off-centered flat detector

While cone-beam CT using flat x-ray detectors has gained increased popularity in the past years, the 3D imaging quality is still limited by a large amount of scatter, low dynamic range, and small field of view of the detector. Especially for large objects, the high dynamic range of the projections is a common source for detector specific artifacts. In conventional CT, the application of beam shapers (or bowtie filters) to decrease the signal dynamic in the projections is quite common. In this paper we investigate the use of a beam shaper for cone-beam CT with an off-centered flat detector by means of Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations and test-bench experiments. The shift of the detector out of the central axis increases the field of view and allows the imaging of larger patients, but in turn leads to a very high dynamic signal range and poor scatter-to-primary ratios (SPR). The impact of a half bowtie filter on key performance parameters of the imaging chain is investigated with MC simulations. It is demonstrated that a beam shaper significantly improves the peak SPR especially for large patients and that the reshaping of the SPR has a dominant impact on the homogeneity of the reconstructed image. The use of beam shapers for CBCT requires a modified pre-processing chain that also accounts for secondary effects introduced by the beam modulation filter. Beside patient scatter correction, the inhomogeneous spectral hardening of the x-ray beam and scattered radiation from the beam shaper itself have to be corrected. A comparison of phantom scans with and without beam shaper after pre-processing demonstrates the potential of beam shapers for dose reduction and SNR improvement in flat detector cone-beam CT.