An Advanced 100-Channel Readout System for Nuclear Imaging.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Imaging
• Electronics Engineering
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Reading out large-scale silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays is a significant challenge for nuclear imaging systems.
• Existing solutions often rely on complex and costly application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) requiring extensive development.
• This bottleneck hinders the adoption of advanced SiPM technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Pico-PET electronics system as a novel solution for SiPM array readout.
• To demonstrate its compact size, low power consumption, and cost-effectiveness.
• To highlight its unique capabilities for real-time SiPM characterization and flexible detector design.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 100-channel readout system using 1-bit sigma-delta modulation and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).
• Utilized off-the-shelf, low-cost electronic components.
• Integrated real-time measurement capabilities for SiPM parameters (V-I curves, breakdown voltage, dark current).

Main Results:

• The Pico-PET system exhibits compact dimensions (6 × 6 × 0.8 cm³) and low power consumption (< 3W).
• Demonstrated excellent and consistent performance in experimental studies.
• Accurately and simultaneously measured V-I curves, breakdown voltages, and dark currents for 100 SiPMs in real time.

Conclusions:

• The Pico-PET system provides a practical and cost-effective solution to the SiPM readout bottleneck.
• Its FPGA-based flexibility enables advanced features like multi-channel clustering and intelligent triggering.
• This system facilitates the development of next-generation nuclear imaging technologies.