Crystal Bar Research Articles

Cosserat-phase-field modeling of grain nucleation in plastically deformed single crystals

Thermomechanical processing of crystalline materials induces microstructural evolution such as grain nucleation and growth. In the numerical simulation of these processes, grain nucleation is generally treated as an additional ad hoc step in which circular or spherical grains are added in regions where a critical dislocation density, stress or strain are reached. In this paper, systematic finite element simulations are performed showing that the Kobayashi–Warren–Carter (KWC) phase field model and its coupling with Cosserat crystal plasticity predict spontaneous nucleation of new grains in single crystals in the presence of lattice orientation/rotation gradients. The numerical analysis of the stability of gradients of lattice rotation and dislocation-based stored energy indicates that a gradient of stored energy alone is not sufficient to trigger grain formation. As an application, the KWC–Cosserat model is used to simulate the torsion and annealing of a copper single crystal bar with a circular cross section. This mechanical loading produces a large, fairly uniform axial rotation gradient which induces nucleation in the form of a stack of cylindrical grains. Plastic strain gradients in cross-sections predicted by the 3D finite element simulation, are not strong enough to compete with the longitudinal nucleation process, as confirmed by experimental observations from the literature.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF CONTINUOUS LINEAR MOTION OF SINGLE AND SERIES CONNECTED PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENTS BY USING METHOD OF IMPACT DRIVE MECHANISM

IDMcan be defined as thetransformation ofsmall vibrations of a piezo element into continuous linear motion on a frictional surface by controlling the extension and contraction speed thus the impact force.In most of previous studies, longitudinal vibrations of piezo elements are employed as in [1], [2], [3] to obtain a continuous linear motion. In this study, linear continuous motion characteristics of series connected piezoelectric (PZT) crystals are investigated both numerically and experimentally, when the method of the impact drive mechanism applied was driven by coupled transverse and torsional vibrations. For the experiments, PZT rectangular crystal bars are series connected with a neodymium magnet glued to the bottom end, and then positioned to a grinded smooth steel surface. The three test specimens were series connected one, two, and three-elements PZT-5X military grade single crystals, and the neodymium magnets were N38 grade coated with nickel. Before starting the tests, resonant frequencies of test specimens are calculated numerically by making harmonic analysis employing a finite element software (ANSYS) and tested experimentally by using the sweep characteristics of the signal generator. Triangular,and sine signal waves at resonance frequencies are applied for each test specimen at 220 Volts. Both the numerical and experimental results showed that the top-end deflection, strain energy, the impact force thus the linear velocity increases by increasing the number of PZT crystal elements of a test specimen. The research conducted herecould be supportive when designing nano/micro-scale positioning actuators anddriving systems for different kinds of high technology applications.

Study on the Aging of the BGO Calorimeter of the DAMPE Experiment in Space

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) has been in operation stably for nearly seven years. The key sub-detector of DAMPE is the BGO electromagnetic calorimeter, which consists of 308 BGO crystal bars. As a long-term apparatus in space, the BGO calorimeter faces continuous radiation bombardment, and therefore the radiation resistance of the BGO is crucial for the performance of energy measurement. In order to understand the aging of BGO crystals caused by radiation in space, the stability including attenuation length and the absolute energy scale has been examined with on-orbit data over 6.5 years. The aging effects are found in the BGO crystals of the inner and outer parts of the BGO calorimeter. Due to real-time calibration, the BGO calorimeter is still in a stable operation status.

Quantitatively regulating ZSM-48 by phenolic molecules for n-hexadecane hydroisomerization

ZSM-48 is widely used to support Pt nanoparticles (Pt/ZSM-48) for hydroisomerization of long-chain n-paraffin due to its 10-member-ring one-dimensional pore structure. But the yield of target isomers on Pt/ZSM-48 is difficult to be improved due to easily bundled crystal bars and relatively excessive acid sites of ZSM-48, which restricts reactant diffusion and causes cracking. In this study, different types of zeolite growth modifiers (ZGMs) are screened for regulating the physicochemical property of ZSM-48, in which phenolic hydroxyl was found to be the most effective functional group. Quantitative correlations between ZGM structure and the properties of corresponding ZSM-48 crystal are achieved based on appropriate descriptors and multi-parameter regression. Then, the mechanism of ZSM-48 regulation by phenolic ZGMs is revealed. The models predict that polydopamine (PDA) is a superior ZGM for hydroisomerization, which is verified by textural characterization and reaction evaluation. Compared with the conventional catalyst, the isomer selectivity was improved effectively from 92% to over 97% when the feed conversion was lower than 80%, and the maximum yield of isomers was 89.0% as catalyzed by the PDA-regulated catalyst. The as-built models can also be used to design preferred phenolic ZGMs for preparing tailored ZSM-48 in other applications.

Effect of competitive crystal growth on microstructural characteristics of directionally solidified nickel-based single crystal superalloy

Directionally solidified single crystal superalloy test bars were prepared by the spiral grain selection method. The microstructural evolution and orientation characteristics of the starter block and spiral part were studied, and the influence of the competitive growth of crystals on the microstructural characteristics was analyzed. The results show that the divergent grain groups, with small size and randomly oriented grains, appear at the bottom of the start block due to the chilling effect, which is an important area for competitive growth. As the height of the starter block increases, the primary dendrite spacing increases, and the grain density decreases; furthermore, the proportion of grains with an orientation deflection angle less than 10° gradually increases. The <001> texture gradually becomes stronger as the height of the starter block increases, which indicates that the competitive growth of crystals gradually weakens. At the initial stage of the crystal selection in the spiral part, the obstacle of adjacent grains and spiral passage is the main working mechanism. The grains located at the inner side of the front edge of the spiral passage have the growth advantage. The single crystal screening process is achieved at about two-thirds of the spiral height, and the single crystal with the orientation deviation angle of 6.7° from the casting axis is prepared.

Single-Crystal Quality Detection and Evaluation Algorithms Applied to Roller Mill Orientation Instrument

The roller mill orientation instrument (RMOI) integrates the processing and the orientation of single-crystal bars. This type of equipment realizes the integration of two processes: grinding of the single-crystal ingot and orientation of the single-crystal bar. This integration enhances production efficiency and the precision of the orientation. However, this type of approach has two significant constraints: 1) there is no quality detection algorithm for the plane of the crystal bar; it is, therefore, currently necessary to randomly find a crystal plane for orientation, which means that there is no guarantee of the quality of the plane after cutting and 2) there is a lack of evaluation methods to determine the overall quality of the crystal bar. This affects the production process and the requirements for the quality of the crystal bar and further affects the popularization and application of the equipment. Here, to overcome these constraints, we first propose a deep learning 1-D convolutional neural network (1-D-CNN) algorithm to perform feature extraction and supervised classification based on the rocking curve of the single crystal. In sharp contrast to the shallow learning method support vector machine (SVM), SVM feature extraction is insufficient, and the accuracy is low. The average accuracy of 1-D-CNN is 92.00%. This realizes the quality requirements for the successful detection of the crystal plane. Next, using the obtained quality detection results of each crystal plane, a hybrid algorithm combining improved Canopy (ICanopy) and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -means algorithms is presented, which improved the average accuracy by 10% compared with the traditional Canopy- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -means algorithm, and the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -nearest neighbor ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> NN) algorithm is further utilized. Finally, an ICanopy- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -means- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> NN algorithm is formed, which realizes the overall quality evaluation of the crystal bar under various situations, and the average accuracy increases by 3.33%–90%. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by the analysis of results obtained from practical data.

Investigation of breakaway corrosion observed during oxide growth in pure and low alloying element content Zr exposed in water at 360°C

The addition of small concentrations of alloying elements to pure zirconium can prevent nuclear fuel cladding material from undergoing unstable oxide growth in aqueous environments at light water reactor operating temperatures. The role of alloying elements in stabilizing the oxide growth is examined in this paper, to better understand the oxide growth stabilization mechanism. To this end, a set of initial, short-duration corrosion experiments were performed, followed by oxide layer characterization. Specifically, ten model Zr alloys were selected to test the effect of small alloying additions on the alloy corrosion rate and corrosion breakaway. These alloys were corrosion tested in pure water in an autoclave at 360 °C for up to 70 days. The alloys included crystal bar Zr, sponge Zr, and model alloys with small concentrations of Sn, Fe, and Cr. After testing, the alloys were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron µ-X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) to study how the structure of the oxide and alloying element distribution related to unstable oxide growth. Initial results in the 360 °C water environment showed breakaway oxidation may be caused by unstable oxide growth due to heterogeneous distribution of the alloying elements. Heterogeneous distribution of alloying elements was correlated to the occurrence of unstable oxide growth (either nodule-like, grain boundary penetration, or differential grain-to-grain growth). It is possible that this heterogeneity, made possible by low alloying element content, can cause breakaway corrosion, but further study is warranted.

Development of dual-ended depth-of-interaction detectors using laser-induced crystals for small animal PET systems

Sensitivity and spatial resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners can be improved by using thicker scintillation crystals with depth-of-interaction (DOI) encoding. Subsurface laser engraving (SSLE) can be used to segment crystals of a scintillation detector in order to fabricate a DOI detector. We previously applied SSLE to crystal bars of 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 and 1.5 × 1.5 × 20 mm3 and developed two dual-ended detectors with DOI segments of 3 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively. To further improve the DOI resolution, our SSLE detector design can be used with smaller pitch crystal bars, making them excellent detector candidates for small animal PET scanners with submillimetre resolution. In the present study, three small crystal bars of 1 × 1 × 20 mm3, 2 × 1 × 20 mm3, and 2 × 1 × 40 mm3 were laser engraved to 12, 20 and 40 segments, respectively, by applying SSLE in their height directions. The segmented crystal bars were characterised in three prototype detector arrangements. First, the 1 × 1 × 20 mm3 crystal bars were characterised in an 8 × 8 crystal array designed for DOI encoding along crystal height in a conventional small animal PET design. Second, a 4 × 8 crystal array of 2 × 1 × 20 mm3 crystal bars was characterised for using the DOI information for crystal interaction positioning along the axial axis of a small animal PET scanner. Finally, the third part of the study was performed on a single 2 × 1 × 40 mm3 crystal bar with 40 segments to investigate the feasibility of DOI estimation in longer crystals for application in a system with extended axial length. We evaluated the capability of segment identification and energy resolution of theses detectors. The 3D position maps of the detectors were obtained using the Anger-type calculation and the crystal identification performance was evaluated for each detector. Clear segment separation was obtained for the crystal arrays with 12 (segment pitch of 1.67 mm) and 20 (segment pitch of 1 mm) segments. Mean energy resolutions of 8.8% ± 0.4% and 9.6% ± 0.8% at 511 keV were obtained for the segments in the central regions of the 8 × 8 array with 12 segments and the 4 × 8 array with 20 segments, respectively. Clear segment identification was found to be difficult for the detector with 40 segments, especially for the segments at the middle of the crystal. Energy and interaction positioning characterisation results suggest that both prototype detectors with 12 and 20 segments are well suited for small animal PET scanners with high spatial resolution.

Test beam characterization of sensor prototypes for the CMS Barrel MIP Timing Detector

The MIP Timing Detector will provide additional timing capabilities for detection of minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) at CMS during the High Luminosity LHC era, improving event reconstruction and pileup rejection. The central portion of the detector, the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL), will be instrumented with LYSO:Ce crystals and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) providing a time resolution of about 30 ps at the beginning of operation, and degrading to 50-60 ps at the end of the detector lifetime as a result of radiation damage. In this work, we present the results obtained using a 120 GeV proton beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility to measure the time resolution of unirradiated sensors. A proof-of-concept of the sensor layout proposed for the barrel region of the MTD, consisting of elongated crystal bars with dimensions of about 3×3×57 mm3 and with double-ended SiPM readout, is demonstrated. This design provides a robust time measurement independent of the impact point of the MIP along the crystal bar. We tested LYSO:Ce bars of different thickness (2, 3, 4 mm) with a geometry close to the reference design and coupled to SiPMs manufactured by Hamamatsu and Fondazione Bruno Kessler. The various aspects influencing the timing performance such as the crystal thickness, properties of the SiPMs (e.g. photon detection efficiency), and impact angle of the MIP are studied.A time resolution of about 28 ps is measured for MIPs crossing a 3 mm thick crystal bar, corresponding to a most probable value (MPV) of energy deposition of 2.6 MeV, and of 22 ps for the 4.2 MeV MPV energy deposition expected in the BTL, matching the detector performance target for unirradiated devices.

Optimization of the surface area of laser-induced layers for PET detectors with depth-of-interaction

Detectors with depth-of-interaction (DOI) information are utilized in positron emission tomography (PET) scanners to improve the sensitivity of radiation detection and the uniformity of spatial resolution. We recently developed a series of dual-ended detectors using crystal bars segmented by applying the subsurface laser engraving (SSLE) technique to 7, 13 and 20 DOI segments. It is crucial to achieve the submillimeter level spatial resolution for our detector as the narrow crystal bars are highly fragile after applying the SSLE technique. In this work, we focused on optimizing the surface area of the SSLE-induced layer to the narrow crystal bars in order to resolve the issue of fragility while maintaining sufficient crystal segment separation. The SSLE layers were induced to the middle of the cross section of the five crystal bars with dimensions of 1.5 ×1.5× 20 mm3 with a distance of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 or 0.5 mm from the two opposite lateral edges of each crystal bar. All crystals were segmented into four DOI segments and the performances of the five sets of dual-ended DOI detectors consisting of one crystal bar were evaluated from the viewpoints of optimum crystal segment identification and energy resolution while mitigating the fragility issue. The 3D position maps of the detectors were obtained by the Anger-type calculation, and the crystal identification performance was evaluated. Clear separation of the segments with a distance-to-width ratio (DWR) larger than 7 was obtained for the detectors in which the distances of the SSLE-induced layer from the two opposite lateral edges of the crystal were 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mm. The DWR for the other two detectors was less than 4.4. Average energy resolutions of 11.8 ± 0.2%, 10.6 ± 0.2% and 8.8 ± 0.2% were obtained for the detectors in which the SSLE layers were induced with 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mm distances from the two opposite lateral edges of the crystal, respectively. There was a compromise between energy resolution and crystal segment identification. The optimum surface area of the SSLE-induced layer was accepted as a trade-off between crystal segment identification and fragility. The crystal segmented by the SSLE-induced layer at the middle of the cross section with a distance of 0.3 mm from the two opposite lateral edges was considered to be a good candidate with acceptable performance and fragility.

Thermal simulation of the single discharge for electro-spark deposition diamond wire saw

Due to their excellent physical and mechanical properties, third-generation super hard semiconductor materials (such as SiC, GaN) are widely used in the field of microelectronics. From the crystal bar to electronic devices, slicing is the first machining procedure that directly affects the subsequent process. Fixed diamond wire saw has been widely used in cutting hard and brittle materials. However, the diamond grits of wire saw are bonded through the binding agent’s mechanical embedding that slicing super hard crystal is very difficult and inefficient. In order to improve the slicing efficiency, it is necessary to improve the holding strength and wear resistance of the diamond wire saw. The electro-spark deposition (ESD) process can form metallurgical bonding between metal materials at low heat input. The holding strength and wear resistance of the diamond wire saw can be effectively improved. In this paper, the mechanism of the manufacturing process of ESD diamond wire saw (ESDDWS) is introduced, and the conditions of the manufacturing process of ESDDWS are put forward. A model of the surface heat source of saw wire is established considering the wire shape. The transient thermal analysis of the single discharge of ESDDWS is carried out in ANSYS, and the effect of material compaction on material physical properties is considered. According to the simulation results, the parameter range of the manufacturing process of ESDDWS is predicted. The predictions agreed with experiment observation.

Reconstruction Algorithm for Regions of Interest in γ-Photon Images

As a nondestructive testing technology, γ-photon imaging shows immense potential in the industrial field. However, the limitations of γ-photon imaging theory and detection technology result in various problems, such as low image resolution and edge blur. The technology is particularly difficult to apply to industrial detection that requires high imaging speed and high resolution. Therefore, this study proposes a reconstruction algorithm for regions of interest (ROI) in γ-photon images. The proposed algorithm is suitable for fast industrial detection and is based on the reconstruction algorithm for sinusoidal graph data, that is, the ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) image reconstruction algorithm. It is an improvement of the traditional point-and-line system matrix (SM) model. In the application of the proposed algorithm, the probability weight of a pixel is determined by the solid angle of the crystal bar at both ends of the line of response (LOR) to the pixel it passes through. In this work, the known contour parameters of industrial parts are used to describe the area of nuclide distribution as the ROI. Only the pixels through which the LOR passed in the ROI are counted, and the probability weights of these pixels are calculated to construct the SM. Gaussian filters are added in each iteration to suppress the clutter of scattered noise inside the image. The effectiveness of the algorithm was verified in two model experiments. A closed cavity detection experiment on industrial hydraulic parts was also conducted to compare the image reconstruction effects before and after the improvement. Results showed that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve image resolution and image edge contours. In the tee pipe model experiment and cavity detection experiment on hydraulic parts, the image reconstruction speed increased by more than 6 and 10 times, respectively. Hence, the proposed algorithm provided a feasible solution for quickly obtaining images with clear edges and high resolution under a large aperture detector ring.

Experimental study of Cherenkov radiation component in LYSO(Ce) crystals

In this paper we investigated Cherenkov radiation component influence on the time of charged particle detection in LYSO(Ce) crystals. Description of the experiment setup and Monte Carlo simulation scheme are given. The scintillation and Cherenkov radiation processes in LYSO(Ce) crystal were simulated and studied experimentally with electron beam at Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics beam test facilities. The results of the measurements and simulation are presented. The effect of particle detection time shift due to Cherenkov radiation was obtained. It amounts of several tens of picoseconds for LYSO(Ce) crystal bar (it has dimensions of 3 × 4 × 50 mm3). Beam test results are in good agreement with calculations.

ATLAS Forward Proton Time-of-Flight Detector: LHC Run2 performance and experiences

The performance of the ATLAS Forward Proton Time-of-Flight (ToF) Cherenkov detector is studied using the ATLAS data collected in 2017 during the LHC Run2. The detailed analysis of the results, including detector efficiency and time resolution of the ToF detector, is discussed. The detector construction and its expected performance based on beam test results are briefly summarized first. Operational experiences are presented. They include problems due to attempts to operate Micro-Channel Plate Photomultiplier Tubes (MCP-PMTs) in the vacuum, leading to changes in the detector construction. In addition, a new MCP-PMT design was needed, as a result of the observed gain drop for high rates and its non-recoverability. Also, other hardware changes are presented— the effect of the replacement of glued crystal bars by monolithic ones, as well as the change of the MCP-PMT back-end electronics, based on simulation to reduce signal cross-talk resulting in further detector time resolution improvement. The second part of the document is devoted to the achieved time resolutions, 20 ± 4 ps and 26 ± 5 ps, of two installed ToF detectors. Despite their very low efficiencies (below 10%) in major parts of the analyzed data, this represents a superb time resolution for detectors operating a few millimeters from the LHC beams. Based on the time resolution, this result characterizes the best ToF detector among those operated by the different LHC experiments in the forward regions during the LHC Run2. Finally, the possibility of reconstructing the z-coordinate of the ATLAS interaction region using the ToF detectors is shown.

Precision Timing in the CMS MTD Barrel Timing Layer With Crystal Bars and SiPMs

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is undergoing an extensive Phase II upgrade program to prepare for the challenging conditions of the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). In particular, a new timing layer will measure minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) with a time resolution of ~30–40 ps and hermetic coverage up to a pseudorapidity of $\left |{ \eta }\right |=3$ . The precision time information from this detector will reduce the effects of the high levels of pileup expected at the HL-LHC and will bring new and unique capabilities to the CMS detector. This MIP Timing Detector (MTD) will consist of a central barrel timing layer (BTL) based on L(Y)SO:Ce crystals read out with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and two end-caps instrumented with radiation-tolerant low-gain avalanche detectors (LGADs). With the goal of maximizing the detector performance within the stringent constraints of space, cost, and channel count, the BTL exploits elongated crystal bars, each read out with two SiPMs. This unusual geometry enables the instrumentation of large surfaces while minimizing the active area of the photodetectors and thus noise and power consumption. This article presents a summary of the research and development studies carried out to optimize this crystal-based technology and key beam test results in which the target time resolution of 30 ps has been achieved.

Precision timing with LYSO:Ce crystals and SiPM sensors in the CMS MTD barrel timing layer

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is undergoing an extensive Phase II upgrade program to prepare for the challenging conditions of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). In particular, a new timing detector will measure minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) with a time resolution of ∼30-40 ps and hermetic coverage up to a pseudo-rapidity of |η|=3. The precision time information from this MIP Timing Detector (MTD) will reduce the effects of the high levels of pileup expected at the HL-LHC and will bring new and unique capabilities to the CMS detector. The central Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) will be based on LYSO:Ce crystals read out with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The BTL will use elongated crystal bars, with double-sided read-out, with a SiPM on each end of the crystal, in order to maximize detector performance within the constraints of space, cost, and channel count. This unusual geometry enables the instrumentation of large surfaces while minimizing the active area of the photodetectors, and thus noise and power consumption. We will present an overview of the MTD BTL design and will detail the extensive R&D studies carried out to optimize the MTD BTL crystal-based technology and test beam results in which the goal of 30 ps timing resolution has been achieved.

High-granularity crystal calorimetry: conceptual designs and first studies

A new concept of high-granularity calorimetry based on crystals has been proposed for future lepton collider experiments, e.g. the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), with an aim to reach an optimal energy resolution as well as 3D-positioning precision. In this conceptual design, crystals are finely segmented in both transverse and longitudinal directions. Each crystal is optically isolated and read out by a compact semiconductor photosensor (e.g. silicon photomultiplier, SiPM). Simulation models are developed to study the expected performance of the whole calorimeter as well as the readout scheme of a single crystal. Cosmic-ray measurements have been made with a single crystal bar of lead tungstate. First tests with a new front-end electronics chip for the SiPM readout are also presented.

Development of a dual-end detector with TOF and DOI capabilities using crystal bars segmented by subsurface laser engraving

The quality and uniformity of positron emission tomography (PET) images can be improved significantly using a PET scanner, which has both time-of-flight (TOF) and depth-of-interaction (DOI) capabilities. We have already developed a DOI dual-end detector using segmented crystal bars by applying a subsurface laser engraving (SSLE) technique, and the DOI was determined by the ratio of the detected light between two readouts using the Anger calculation. In this study, we investigated the influence of the number of DOI segments on the performance of DOI identification and the coincidence timing performance of the detector. The detector consisted of a single lutetium fine silicate (LFS) crystal bar (3 × 3 × 20 mm 3 ) with various numbers of DOI segments that were made by applying the SSLE technique and Hamamatsu silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) modules. The maximum number of DOI segments was six, and the SiPM module included one hundred forty-four 4 mm × 4 mm SiPM readouts. The coincidence resolving time (CRT) of each DOI segment was obtained from the side irradiation of the dual-end detector. All DOI segments of the detector with 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 DOI segments were clearly identified, and average energy resolutions of 9.8 ± 0.5% and 12.5 ± 1.4% were obtained at the 511 keV photo peak for the detectors with 2 DOI and 6 DOI segments, respectively. The minimum and maximum estimated CRT of 180 ± 6 ps and 236 ± 6 ps were obtained for the detectors with 2 DOI and 6 DOI segments, respectively. Insignificant differences were observed between the CRT values of different segments of one detector. Greater CRT values were obtained for detectors with larger DOIs. The results of this study prove that there is a high potential for segmented crystal bars using the SSLE technique as a good candidate for PET scanners with TOF and DOI capabilities, which can significantly improve the quality of PET images.

Simple effective shear modulus approximation for single crystal Si torsional bars

Torsion stiffness of elastic suspensions made of anisotropic single crystal silicon cannot be calculated by formulas derived for isotropic materials. We introduce a simple expression for an effective shear modulus, which depends on the aspect ratio (AR) of the torsional bar cross section. The approximation allows torsion stiffness evaluation of prismatic bars oriented in the most common 〈1 1 0〉 and 〈1 0 0〉 crystal directions, and can be directly used in an isotropic formula and is applicable within an entire range of the bar cross section AR. Our numerical and experimental results show that the approach can be conveniently used as a design tool for tilting micro devices.

Development of a dual-ended readout detector with segmented crystal bars made using a subsurface laser engraving technique

Depth of interaction (DOI) information is indispensable to improving the sensitivity and spatial resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) systems, especially for small field-of-view PET such as small animal PET and human brain PET. We have already developed a series of X’tal cube detectors for isotropic spatial resolution and we obtained the best isotropic resolution of 0.77 mm for detectors with six-sided readout. However, it is still challenging to apply the detector for PET systems due to the high cost of six-sided readout electronics and carrying out segmentation of a monolithic cubic scintillator in three dimensions using the subsurface laser engraving (SSLE) technique. In this work, we propose a more practical X’tal cube with a two-sided readout detector, which is made of crystal bars segmented in the height direction only by using the SSLE technique. We developed two types of prototype detectors with a 3 mm cubic segment and a 1.5 mm cubic segment by using 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 and 1.5 × 1.5 × 20 mm3 crystal bars segmented into 7 and 13 DOI segments, respectively, using the SSLE technique. First, the performance of the detector, composed of one crystal bar with different DOI segments and two thorough silicon via (TSV) multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs) as readout at both ends of the crystal bar, were evaluated in order to demonstrate the capability of the segmented crystal bars as a DOI detector. Then, performance evaluation was carried out for a 4 × 4 crystal array of 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 with 7 DOI segments and an 8 × 8 crystal array of 1.5 × 1.5 × 20 mm3 with 13 DOI segments. Each readout included a 4 × 4 channel of the 3 × 3 mm2 active area of the TSV MPPCs. The three-dimensional position maps of the detectors were obtained by the Anger-type calculation. All the segments in the 4 × 4 array were identified very clearly when there was air between the crystal bars, as each crystal bar was coupled to one channel of the MPPCs; however, it was necessary to optimize optical conditions between crystal bars for the 8 × 8 array because of light sharing between crystal bars coupled to one channel of the MPPCs. The optimization was performed for the 8 × 8 array by inserting reflectors fully or partially between the crystal bars and the best crystal identification performance was obtained with the partial reflectors between the crystal bars. The mean energy resolutions at the 511 keV photo peak for the 4 × 4 array with air between the crystal bars and for the 8 × 8 array with partial reflectors between the crystal bars were 10.1% ± 0.3% and 10.8% ± 0.8%, respectively. Timing resolutions of 783 ± 36 ps and 1.14 ± 0.22 ns were obtained for the detectors composed of the 4 × 4 array and the 8 × 8 array with partial reflectors, respectively. These values correspond to single photon timing resolutions. Practical X’tal cubes with 3 mm and 1.5 mm DOI resolutions and two-sided readout were developed.