Dose-response and ghosting effects of an amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging device

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dose-response characteristics, including ghosting effects, of an amorphous silicon-based electronic portal imaging device (a-Si EPID) under clinical conditions. EPID measurements were performed using one prototype and two commercial a-Si detectors on two linear accelerators: one with 4 and 6 MV and the other with 8 and 18 MV x-ray beams. First, the EPID signal and ionization chamber measurements in a mini-phantom were compared to determine the amount of buildup required for EPID dosimetry. Subsequently, EPID signal characteristics were studied as a function of dose per pulse, pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and total dose, as well as the effects of ghosting. There was an over-response of the EPID signal compared to the ionization chamber of up to 18%, with no additional buildup layer over an air gap range of 10 to 60 cm. The addition of a 2.5 mm thick copper plate sufficiently reduced this over-response to within 1% at clinically relevant patient-detector air gaps (> 40 cm). The response of the EPIDs varied by up to 8% over a large range of dose per pulse values, PRF values and number of monitor units. The EPID response showed an under-response at shorter beam times due to ghosting effects, which depended on the number of exposure frames for a fixed frame acquisition rate. With an appropriate build-up layer and corrections for dose per pulse, PRF and ghosting, the variation in the a-Si EPID response can be reduced to well within +/- 1%.