Fast readout of GEM detectors for medical imaging

We describe the design and implementation of a fast data acquisition (DAQ) system for Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) trackers applied to imaging and dosimetry in hadrontherapy. Within the AQUA project of the TERA foundation a prototype of Proton Range Radiography of 30×30cm2 active area has been desi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2013-08, Vol.718, p.160-163
Main Authors: Bucciantonio, M., Amaldi, U., Kieffer, R., Malakhov, N., Sauli, F., Watts, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerators
Data acquisition
Density
Design engineering
Detectors
Dosimetry
Foundations
GEM
Gems
Hadrontherapy
Proton Range Radiography
Radiography
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Summary:We describe the design and implementation of a fast data acquisition (DAQ) system for Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) trackers applied to imaging and dosimetry in hadrontherapy. Within the AQUA project of the TERA foundation a prototype of Proton Range Radiography of 30×30cm2 active area has been designed and built to provide in-beam integrated density images of the patient before treatment. It makes use of a pair of GEMs to record position and direction of protons emerging from the target. A fast data acquisition rate close to 1MHz will allow obtaining a good resolution in-beam proton radiography in a few seconds. A dedicated fast front-end circuit for GEM detectors (GEMROC by AGH-Crakow University) is read by the FPGA based DAQ card (GR_DAQ), developed by the AQUA group. The same system is under evaluation (within the ENVISION European project) to realize the in-vivo dosimetry, based on detecting secondary light particles during the treatment of the patient.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2012.10.046