Improving the performance of the SP-3000 PET detector modules

A major concern in the use of BaF₂ detectors in a positron emission tomograph is the collection of the UV light from the fast decay component of the scintillator. A series of experiments with the standard SP-3000 commercial detector module confirmed that the coupling compound formulation was reasonable, but that the reflector material used to wrap the crystals was not optimal. Rebuilding the detector modules with PTFE Teflon increased the light output from the detector modules by factors of three. Initial tests with phantoms using two rings of rebuilt detectors in the University of Washington BaF₂ positron emission tomography system confirmed improvements in resolution and contrast in comparison to the original SP-3000 modules