Proposed is advancement of the state-of-the-art pixilated solid state semiconductor gamma ray imaging array detector assemblies to where their advantages of energy and spatial resolution in a room temperature detector may be exploited with minimal cost and risk in applications such as large area arrays for in vivo imaging and nuclear medicine. A major impediment to widespread use of solid state array detectors is the shortage of high quality detector material.
The aim of this proposal is to develop techniques for making increased use of the existing supply CdZnTe) through more fault-tolerant detector and detector system designs. We plan to accomplish this by deploying a smaller form factor detector array, that allows culling more useful CZT detectors from a given wafer. The incorporation of an interposer in the detector assembly will allow creation of tiled arrays of detector arrays, minimizing the impact of the smaller form factor on imaging resolution. Cutting of the CZT wafers by new, more flexible and less damaging techniques will also allow better utilization of existing materials. The design of a differentiated sharper amplifier readout array will reduce susceptibility to leakage currents, allowing use of lower resistivity materials than present integrating readout techniques.
The immediate commercial opportunity is in supplying the research community a reliable supply of functional imaging array detector assemblies. These devices have applications in planar imaging, SPECT imaging systems, and as surgical probes. Some possible applications are mammography, clinical cardiology, in vivo auto radiography, neuroscience studies, and lymphatic system imaging. There exists a huge potential for in vivo expression studies in small animals. Outside of medial and biological uses, detector arrays are needed by NASA for stellar X- and gamma ray imaging systems.
