Performance comparison of Si-PM-based block detectors with different pixel sizes for an ultrahigh-resolution small-animal PET system

Phys Med Biol. 2011 Oct 21;56(20):N227-36. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/56/20/N02. Epub 2011 Sep 21.

Abstract

The silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) is a promising photodetector for a high-resolution PET scanner due to its small size, high gain and lower sensitivity to magnetic fields. There are several commercially available Si-PM arrays with different pixel sizes and fill factors, and these parameters can affect the performance of a PET block detector read out by these devices. We compared the performance of block detectors using 4 × 4 Si-PM arrays with 25 µm (Hamamatsu S11064-025P) and 50 µm (S11064-050P) pixels combined with the same 15 × 15 matrix LGSO block made of 0.7 × 0.7 × 6 mm(3) scintillator pixels. Evaluated characteristics include photopeak linearity, energy resolution and positioning performance. Although the photopeak linearity and energy resolution are slightly better for the Si-PM with 25 µm pixels, the position performance measured by the separation of the position histogram is significantly better for the Si-PM with 50 µm pixels. We conclude that using the Si-PM with 50 µm pixels will provide a better solution for the development of ultrahigh-resolution PET systems.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Size*
  • Linear Models
  • Photons
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Silicon*

Substances

  • Silicon