CHARACTERIZATION OF A 64 CHANNEL PET DETECTOR USING PHOTODIODES FOR CRYSTAL IDENTIFICATION

We present performance results for a prototype PET detector module con sisting of 64 LSO scintillator crystals (3x3x20 mm) coupled on one end to a single photomultiplier tube and on the opposite end to a 64 pixe l array of 3 mm square silicon photodiodes (typical pixel parameters a re 5 pF capacitance, 300 pA dark current, and 73% quantum efficiency a t 415 nm). The photomultiplier tube (PMT) provides an accurate timing pulse and energy threshold for all crystals in the module, the silicon photodiodes (PD) identify the crystal of interaction, the sum (PD+PMT ) provides a total energy signal, and the PD/(PD+PMT) ratio determines the depth of interaction. With 32 of the channels instrumented, the d etector module correctly identifies the crystal of interaction (where ''correct'' includes the adjacent 4 crystals) 79+/-4% of the time with high detection efficiency. The timing resolution for a single LSO det ector module is 750 ps fwhm, while its pulse height resolution at 511 keV is 24+/-3% fwhm. The depth of interaction (DOI) measurement resolu tion is 8+/-1 mm fwhm.