Mp. Tornai et al., Investigation of microcolumnar scintillators on an optical fiber coupled compact imaging system, IEEE NUCL S, 48(3), 2001, pp. 637-644
A compact imaging system with a novel front-end detector is under investiga
tion and development. Unique aspects of this collimatorless system include
the use of thin arrays of many thousands of microcolumnar (< 10 mum diamete
r) CsI front-end scintillators that are coupled through a four-times reduci
ng fiber-optic (FO) bundle to a metal-channel multianode position sensitive
photodetector. The tested arrays are 140 or 200 pm tall on faceplates of p
lane glass, FO, and FO with statistical extramural absorbers (EMAs). The hi
ghly discrete nature of the scintillator microcolumn arrays ensures very fi
ne intrinsic spatial resolution, limited by the particle penetration and ba
ckscatter in the detector assembly. Their retro-reflector-tipped front ends
facilitate light propagation toward the photodetector, ensuring good light
collection. Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the limiting nature of beta
particle penetration on measurable resolution. With this system, absolute l
ight output was higher for the taller arrays, which indicates that these si
zes are below the optimum for light output and energy absorption from the e
nergetic beta particles; even taller scintillators, however, would suffer f
rom increased backgrounds from annihilation radiation with positron detecti
on. While MTF measurements with an X-ray source and microslit indicate the
best response with the arrays on FO + EMA substrates, measurements with hig
h and medium (1.7 MeV and 635 keV) energy beta line sources yield the best
responses with the plane glass substrate, indicating that energy thresholdi
ng affects resolution in the classical way, even with these highly miniatur
ized arrays. Experiments with complex positron emission distributions along
with large gamma-ray backgrounds, as may be expected during surgery, yield
images with small background contamination and no distortions.