A multilayer edge-on silicon microstrip single photon counting detector for digital mammography

A 3-layer edge-on silicon microstrip detector for the SYRMEP/FRONTRAD proje ct has been designed and realised. The image matrix is made by 764 pixels w ith dimensions 300 (thickness of the single detectors) x 200 (strip pitch) mu m(2). The system has a sensitive area of 50 x mm(2), an inter-layer dist ance of approximate to 100 mu m and an efficiency of approximate to 80% for 20 keV photons. The image is acquired by scanning the object across the be am cross-section and the overall statistics on the single pixel is obtained by summing up the information of corresponding pixels in the three layers, thereby reducing the effect of possible noisy or not functioning pixels. E xperimental results obtained at the SYRMEP/FRONTRAD beam line of the ELETTR A synchrotron radiation machine with this innovative detector are presented .