Zero-dark-counting high-speed X-ray photon detection using a cerium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite crystal and a small photomultiplier tube and its application to gadolinium imaging

Abstract

X-ray photons are detected using a cerium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite [YAP(Ce)] single-crystal scintillator with a decay time of 30 ns and a small-sized photomultiplier tube (SPMT). The negative output pulse from the SPMT is amplified by a high-speed inverse amplifier, and the event pulses are sent to a multichannel analyzer to measure X-ray spectra. The energy resolution of the spectrometer was 15% at 59.5 keV. We carried out photon-counting computed tomography using gadolinium media with a maximum rate of 650 kilo counts per second and confirmed the energy-dispersive effect with changes in the description voltage of event pulses using a high-speed comparator.