Design and initial performance evaluation of a full field digital mammography upgrade cassette

This paper discusses the criteria underlying the design of an innovative X-ray active pixel sensor in CMOS technology. This X-ray detector is used in a Full Field-of-view Digital Mammography (FFDM) camera. The CMOS imager is a three-side buttable 29mm x 119mm, 48 mum active pixel CMOS sensor in 0.18 mum technology. The 1(st) silicon FFDM devices were fabricated at the end of June, 2007. The device suffers a common failure mode of high current and currently is in failure analysis at Bioptics foundry. Current target for revision A1 tape out is at the end of August, 2007.