A radiation detection system for high-energy computerized tomography using CdZnTe detectors

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science 1995-08, Vol.42 (4), p.575-579
• Main Authors: Baldazzi, G., Rossi, M., Querzola, E., Guidi, G., Chirco, P., Scannavini, M.G., Zanarini, M., Casali, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Application software; Computed tomography; Computer industry; Exact sciences and technology; Fluctuations; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Linear accelerators; Photoconductivity; Physics; Radiation detectors; Timing; X- and γ-ray instruments and techniques; X- and γ-ray sources, mirrors, gratings and detectors; X-ray detection; X-ray detectors
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/23.467911

This work presents a particular application in which cadmium-zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detectors are used in photoconductive mode in a high-energy computerized tomography system for industrial applications. A first-generation tomography facility has been set up at the University of Bologna, based on a 12-MeV pulsed linear accelerator X-ray source and a single 10/spl times/10/spl times/2 mm/sup 3/ CdZnTe detector. The obtained results show that CdZnTe detectors exhibit better timing performances than CdTe detectors, and are thus more suitable for tomographic applications. Special-purpose signal conditioning electronics have been developed in order to compensate slow and fast signal fluctuations induced by temperature variations and Linac instabilities, In such a way, the dynamic range of the detector has been improved up to more than 3 orders of magnitude. A set of images was acquired in order to evaluate the overall performances of the tomographic facility.< >