Title :
Luminescence efficiency of Gd2SiO5:Ce scintillator under X-ray excitation
Author :
Valais, Ioannis G. ; Kandarakis, Ioannis S. ; Nikolopoulos, Dimitris N. ; Sianoudis, Ioannis A. ; Dimitropoulos, Nikolaos ; Cavouras, Dionisis A. ; Nomicos, Constantinos D. ; Panayiotakis, George S.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Med. Phys., Univ. of Patras, Greece
Abstract :
Gd2SiO5:Ce (GSO:Ce) is a high-Z, nonhygroscopic fast emitting scintillator used in detectors of positron emission tomography (PET) systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the luminescence efficiency of GSO:Ce scintillator under irradiation conditions employed in X-ray medical imaging, since findings may be of value in novel applications such as computed tomography breast imaging or modern fast image producing X-ray computed tomography. To this aim the absolute luminescence efficiency (emitted light flux over X-ray exposure), the spectral matching factor (compatibility to optical detectors), and the effective efficiency (the product of absolute efficiency and spectral compatibility) were determined for X-ray tube voltages ranging from 20 to 140 kV. The efficiency of GSO:Ce was found to increase with increasing X-ray tube voltage, while the GSO:Ce spectrum, peaking at 440 and 490 nm, was found compatible to most optical detectors (photodiodes, photocathodes, and charge-coupled devices).
Keywords :
X-ray effects; X-ray imaging; biomedical imaging; cerium; computerised tomography; gadolinium compounds; luminescence; positron emission tomography; scintillation; scintillation counters; 20 to 140 kV; 440 to 490 nm; GSO:Ce; Gd2SiO5:Ce; Gd2SiO5:Ce scintillator; X-ray computed tomography; X-ray excitation; X-ray exposure; X-ray medical imaging; X-ray tube voltage; charge-coupled devices; computed tomography breast imaging; inorganic scintillators; luminescence efficiency; nonhygroscopic fast emitting scintillator; optical detectors; photocathodes; photodiodes; positron emission tomography systems; radiation detectors; spectral compatibility; spectral matching factor; Biomedical imaging; Breast; Computed tomography; Luminescence; Optical detectors; Optical imaging; Photodiodes; Positron emission tomography; Voltage; X-ray imaging; Inorganic scintillators; luminescence efficiency; matching factor; radiation detectors;
Journal_Title :
Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TNS.2005.856895
