Window-Based Energy Selecting X-ray Imaging and Charge Sharing in Cadmium Zinc Telluride Linear Array Detectors for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Materials Science
• Imaging Technology

Background:

• Energy-resolved photon counting detectors are crucial for advanced imaging applications.
• Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detectors offer excellent spectroscopic capabilities.
• The AVATAR X project aims to develop X-ray scanners for food industry contaminant detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the spectroscopic and imaging performance of novel CdZnTe linear arrays.
• To evaluate the impact of charge sharing and energy-resolved techniques on image quality.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of a new spectral imaging approach for contaminant detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized sub-millimetre boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman CdZnTe linear arrays.
• Characterized detector spatial resolution (250 µm) and energy resolution (<3 keV).
• Investigated contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) enhancements using spectral X-ray imaging and a window-based energy selecting technique.

Main Results:

• Achieved high spatial and energy resolution, enabling spectral X-ray imaging.
• Demonstrated significant image quality improvements.
• Showcased enhanced CNR for detecting both low- and high-density contaminants.

Conclusions:

• The developed CdZnTe detectors show promising performance for spectral X-ray imaging.
• The window-based energy selecting approach improves contaminant detection capabilities.
• This technology has potential applications in food industry contaminant screening.