Energy Resolution Of Detector Research Articles

An extended bore length solid-state digital-BGO PET/CT system: design, preliminary experience, and performance characteristics.

A solid-state PET/CT system uses bismuth germanium oxide (BGO) scintillating crystals coupled to silicon photomultipliers over an extended 32 cm axial field-of-view (FOV) to provide high spatial resolution and very high sensitivity. Performance characteristics were determined for this digital-BGO system, including NEMA and EARL standards. Spatial resolution, scatter fraction (SF), noise equivalent count rate (NECR), sensitivity, count rate accuracy, and image quality (IQ) were evaluated for the digital-BGO system as per NEMA NU 2-2018, at 2 sites of first clinical install. System energy resolution was measured. Bayesian penalized-likelihood reconstruction (BPL) was used for IQ. EARL Standards 2 studies were reconstructed by BPL combined with a contrast-enhancing deep learning algorithm. An Esser PET phantom was evaluated. Three patient examples were obtained with low-dose radiotracer activity: 2 MBq/kg of [18F]FDG ([18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose), 2.3 MBq/kg [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE ([dodecane tetra-acetic acid,Tyr3]-octreotate), and 14.5 MBq/kg [82Rb]RbCl ([82Rb]-rubidium-chloride). Total scan times were ≤ 8 min. NEMA sensitivity was 47.6 cps/kBq at the axial center. Spatial resolution at 1 cm from the center axis was ≤4.5 mm (filtered back projection) and ≤3.8 mm (ordered subset expectation maximization). SF was 35.6%, count rate accuracy was 2.16%, and peak NECR was 485.2 kcps at 16.9 kBq/mL. Contrast for IQ was 61.1 to 90.7% (smallest to largest sphere) with background variations from 7.6 to 2.1%, and a "lung" error of 4.7%. The average detector energy resolution was 9.67%. Image quality for patient scans was good. EARL Standards 2 criteria were robustly met and Esser phantom features ≥4.8 mm were resolved at 2 min per bed position. A solid-state 32 cm axial FOV digital-BGO PET/CT system provides good spatial and energy resolution, high count rates, and superior NEMA sensitivity in its class, enabling fast clinical acquisitions with low-dose radiotracer activity.

Use of CdZnTe Quasi-Hemispherical Detectors under the Impact of Low Temperatures and High-Gamma Radiation Fluxes.

This article discusses the possibilities and limitations of CdZnTe (CZT) quasi-hemispherical detectors operating over a wide temperature range and at high-gamma radiation fluxes. The results of the negative influence of low- and high-operating temperatures, as well as high-radiation fluxes on spectrometric characteristics of CZT detectors and possible ways to eliminate performance deterioration, are presented. The impact of infrared (IR) illumination parameters, such as wavelength and irradiation intensity on the spectroscopy performance of detectors, was investigated. A correctly chosen IR illumination wavelength and intensity were shown to significantly improve the energy resolution of CZT quasi-hemispherical detectors, allowing their stable operation in high-gamma radiation fluxes and extend the operating temperature range toward low temperatures. The influences of bias voltage values and temperatures on the quasi-hemispherical CZT detectors' operating ability at high-gamma radiation fluxes were studied.

Note on intrinsic resolution in liquid organic scintillators

Fluctuations in photon production in scintillator could contribute to the total energy resolution of a scintillation detector. This contribution, called intrinsic resolution (IR), is one of the factors limiting the total energy resolution in detectors based on liquid organic scintillators (LSs). There are very few experimental measurements of the IR in LSs available, and the underlying physics is not completely understood. We propose a phenomenological description of IR of LSs and systematize the data available using a single universal parameter that characterizes IR. We show that all experimental data within the model demonstrate the presence of extra smearing of energy resolution due to IR with a typical value of ≃ 2% at 1-MeV energy release. The model can be used to simulate the effect of IR in LS-based detectors.

Characterisation of HEXITECMHz - A 1 MHz continuous frame rate spectroscopic X-ray imaging detector system

Spectroscopic X-ray imaging techniques including Compton X-ray Imaging, X-ray Fluorescence Imaging and Hyperspectral X-ray Tomography require energy-resolving detectors capable of operating at high incident X-ray fluxes to make time resolved measurements. HEXITECMHz, operates at a continuous 1 MHz frame rate and can make fully spectroscopic measurements at >106 ph s−1 mm−2. This is enabled by an integrating Front End, in-pixel digitisation and high-speed serialisers. A 300 μm thick p-type Si HEXITECMHz detector was characterised on the B16 Test Beamline at the Diamond Light Source and are the first measurements taken at a 1 MHz frame rate. At 10 keV and 15 keV) the device displayed average FWHM of 656 eV and 682 eV respectively, with minimal changes in spectroscopic performance over ∼8 h. Analysis of charge-sharing events show low charge loss and a linear energy-signal response. Higher-flux measurements illustrated the capability of the ASIC to operate as a photon-counting device.

Large, Thin, and Corrugated Gold Absorbers for Transition Edge Sensor Microcalorimeters

A sounding rocket mission studying the soft diffuse X-ray background ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$&lt; $</tex-math></inline-formula> 400 eV) needs high-resolution detectors ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$&lt; $</tex-math></inline-formula> 2 eV FWHM) with a large collecting area ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$&gt;$</tex-math></inline-formula> 2 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ) to reasonably achieve science goals. A practical number of readout channels coupled with the energy resolution requirements drives our goal to develop large (1 mm x 1 mm), thin (200 nm) gold absorbers. Our previous attempts at fabricating these absorbers showed that we needed a large number of support posts as far out as possible to keep the thin absorber from sagging and thermally shorting to the substrate. Support posts at the edge of the membrane could increase athermal phonon loss and introduce position dependence in the absorber. Both are detrimental to the detector energy resolution. Free-standing absorbers with support posts only in the center would be ideal, but these thin absorbers have an aspect ratio of a sheet of typing paper supported by 1 mm tall support posts in the center. We have been exploring adding corrugations to the absorber to mechanically stiffen it and decrease the number of support posts needed. Here, we show the results from our fabrication runs to make large, thin, corrugated absorbers and compare the efficacy of different corrugation patterns to keep a large, thin absorber flat.

Increased material differentiation through multi-contrast x-ray imaging: a preliminary evaluation of potential applications to the detection of threat materials

Most material discrimination in security inspections is based on dual-energy x-ray imaging, which enables the determination of a material’s effective atomic number (Zeff) as well as electron density and its consequent classification as organic or inorganic. Recently phase-based ‘dark-field’ x-ray imaging approaches have emerged that are sensitive to complementary features of a material, namely its unresolved microstructure. It can therefore be speculated that their inclusion in the security-based imaging could enhance material discrimination, for example of materials with similar electron densities and Zeff but different microstructures. In this paper, we present a preliminary evaluation of the advantages that such a combination could bear. Utilising an energy-resolved detector for a phase-based dark-field technique provides dual-energy attenuation and dark-field images simultaneously. In addition, since we use a method based on attenuating x-ray masks to generate the dark-field images, a fifth (attenuation) image at a much higher photon energy is obtained by exploiting the x-rays transmitted through the highly absorbing mask septa. In a first test, a threat material is imaged against a non-threat one, and we show how their discrimination based on maximising their relative contrast through linear combinations of two and five imaging channels leads to an improvement in the latter case. We then present a second example to show how the method can be extended to discrimination against more than one non-threat material, obtaining similar results. Albeit admittedly preliminary, these results indicate that significant margins of improvement in material discrimination are available by including additional x-ray contrasts in the scanning process.

Application of peak based-Bayesian statistical method for isotope identification and categorization of depleted, natural and low enriched uranium measured by LaBr3:Ce scintillation detector

Todays, medium energy resolution detectors are preferably used in radioisotope identification devices(RID) in nuclear and radioactive material categorization. However, there is still a need to develop or enhance « automated identifiers » for the useful RID algorithms. To decide whether any material is SNM or NORM, a key parameter is the better energy resolution of the detector. Although masking, shielding and gain shift/stabilization and other affecting parameters on site are also important for successful operations, the suitability of the RID algorithm is also a critical point to enhance the identification reliability while extracting the features from the spectral analysis. In this study, a RID algorithm based on Bayesian statistical method has been modified for medium energy resolution detectors and applied to the uranium gamma-ray spectra taken by a LaBr3:Ce detector. The present Bayesian RID algorithm covers up to 2000 keV energy range. It uses the peak centroids, the peak areas from the measured gamma-ray spectra. The extraction features are derived from the peak-based Bayesian classifiers to estimate a posterior probability for each isotope in the ANSI library. The program operations were tested under a MATLAB platform.The present peak based Bayesian RID algorithm was validated by using single isotopes(241Am, 57Co, 137Cs, 54Mn, 60Co), and then applied to five standard nuclear materials(0.32–4.51% at.235U), as well as natural U- and Th-ores. The ID performance of the RID algorithm was quantified in terms of F-score for each isotope. The posterior probability is calculated to be 54.5–74.4% for 238U and 4.7–10.5% for 235U in EC-NRM171 uranium materials. For the case of the more complex gamma-ray spectra from CRMs, the total scoring (ST) method was preferred for its ID performance evaluation. It was shown that the present peak based Bayesian RID algorithm can be applied to identify 235U and 238U isotopes in LEU or natural U–Th samples if a medium energy resolution detector is was in the measurements.

Response function and photon interaction of LaBr3:Ce and BGO scintillation detectors by Monte Carlo simulation

This work aims to investigate the response function and photon interaction of the LaBr3:Ce and BGO scintillation detectors using the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation software. To improve the realism of detectors, the DETGEB card was used to activate the gaussian energy broadening (GEB) function. The GEB parameters of both detectors were obtained by fitting a nonlinear curve to the relation between FWHM and gamma-ray energy. The energy resolution (R), peak-to-Compton ratio (PCR), peak-to-total ratio (PTR), and full-energy peak efficiency (FEPE) of both detectors were investigated by simulation and experiment at different gamma-ray energy obtained from 133Ba, 137Cs, and 60Co sources. The simulated spectra of those radioisotopes were found to agree with the actual spectra. The results found that the R, PCR, and FEPE values of the LaBr3:Ce and BGO detectors tend to decrease as energy increases. Moreover, the total atomic cross-section (σt,a), effective atomic number (Zeff) and effective electron density (Neff) of both crystals was investigated by FLUKA and compared with the XCOM theoretical program covering an energy range of 15 keV to 15 MeV. The simulated results of the σt,a, Zeff, and Neff are in excellent agreement with the theoretical ones. The GEB parameters obtained from this study will improve the simulation performance of LaBr3:Ce and BGO detectors in investigating the gamma-ray response and shielding properties of materials.

Impact of Flexible Circuit Bonding and System Integration on Energy Resolution of Cross-Strip CZT Detectors.

Cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors enable high spatial resolution and high detection efficiency and are utilized for many gamma-ray and X-ray spectroscopy applications. In this article, we describe a stable bonding process and report on the characterization of cross-strip CZT detectors before and after bonding to flexible circuit. The bonding process utilizes gold stud bonding and polymer epoxy technique to bond the flexible circuits to two CZT crystals and form a detector module in an anode-cathode-cathode-anode (ACCA) configuration. The readout electronics is optimized in terms of shaper setting and steering electrode voltage. The average full-width half maximum (FWHM) energy resolution at 662 keV of 110 CZT crystals tested individually was 3.5% ± 0.59% and 4.75% ± 0.48% prebonded and post-bonded, respectively. No depth correction was performed in this study. The average FWHM energy resolution at 662 keV of the scaled-up system with 80 CZT crystals was 4.40% ± 0.53%, indicating the scaled-up readout electronics and stacking of the modules does not deteriorate performance. The proper shielding and grounding of the scaled-up system slightly improved the system-wide performance. The FWHM energy resolution at 511 keV of the scaled-up system was 5.85% ± 0.73%.

Reconstruction of the event vertex in the PandaX-III experiment with convolution neural network

The PandaX-III experiment uses a high-pressure xenon gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) of 136Xe. The absence of the vertex position in the electron drift direction at which the event takes place in the detector limits the PandaX-III TPC’s performance. The charged particle tracks recorded by the TPC provide a possibility for vertex reconstruction. In this paper, a convolution neural network (CNN) model VGGZ0net is proposed for the reconstruction of vertex position. An 11 cm precision is achieved with the Monte Carlo simulation events uniformly distributed along a maximum drift distance of 120 cm. The electron loss during the drift under the different gas conditions is studied, and after the distance-based correction, the detector energy resolution is significantly improved. The CNN model is also verified successfully using the experimental data of the PandaX-III prototype detector.

Study of HPGe detector shielding for use in inelastic neutron scattering experiments at the n_TOF/CERN facility

The study of inelastic scattering reactions is important both in basic research as it can provide an insight on nuclear structure and aid in the validation of theoretical models, as well as in the field of applications. The most frequently used method to determine the neutron induced inelastic scattering cross section is by recording the emitted gamma rays from the de-excitation of the target nucleus. In this direction, the high energy resolution of the HPGe detectors is instrumental. The experimental setup can be further improved by shielding the HPGe against the scattered neutrons. The purpose of this work is to investigate the contribution of such shieldings used in inelastic neutron scattering experiments at the n_TOF facility at CERN and to optimise the experimental set-up. In this study, GEANT4, a package for simulating the transport of radiation through matter, was used to study the effect of the various shielding materials and geometries for CANBERRA’s EGPC 25S/N 540 p-type coaxial prototype HPGe.

A fast‐integrated x‐ray emission spectrometer dedicated to the investigation of Pt presence in gold Celtic coins (3rd–1st century BCE)

AbstractWith this study, we present the development of a transportable x‐ray emission spectrometer (XES) that was realized in a net time of 20 h, in order to verify the presence of Platinum (Pt) in gold Celtic coins belonging to 3rd–1st century BCE. Prior to the XES study, measurements using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS) revealed that the coins were made of highly concentrated gold (Au) alloy with trace amounts of bismuth (Bi) and, in one case, osmium (Os) and iridium (Ir). Os and Ir together with Pt and other components belong to the Platinum Group Elements (PGE). They form inclusions in ancient gold alloys and their presence is significant in provenance studies since they indicate the use of alluvial gold. Detection of platinum trace elements in a golden matrix is not possible using energy dispersive x‐ray emission techniques (SEM‐EDS, ED‐XRF, or PIXE) because of the limited energy resolution of the Si detectors. A way to overcome this problem is by using a high‐resolution wavelength dispersive x‐ray emission technique. For this purpose, we built a crystal spectrometer in Von‐Hamos geometry. In the framework of this study three samples/coins have been measured, and the presence of Pt was verified in one of them. The limitations of our spectrometer are critically evaluated and ways to optimize the performance of the spectrometer are discussed.

A tabletop X-ray tomography instrument for nanometer-scale imaging: reconstructions

We show three-dimensional reconstructions of a region of an integrated circuit from a 130 nm copper process. The reconstructions employ x-ray computed tomography, measured with a new and innovative high-magnification x-ray microscope. The instrument uses a focused electron beam to generate x-rays in a 100 nm spot and energy-resolving x-ray detectors that minimize backgrounds and hold promise for the identification of materials within the sample. The x-ray generation target, a layer of platinum, is fabricated on the circuit wafer itself. A region of interest is imaged from a limited range of angles and without physically removing the region from the larger circuit. The reconstruction is consistent with the circuit’s design file.

Detector-grade perovskite single-crystal wafers via stress-free gel-confined solution growth targeting high-resolution ionizing radiation detection

Solution-processed organic‒inorganic halide perovskite (OIHP) single crystals (SCs) have demonstrated great potential in ionizing radiation detection due to their outstanding charge transport properties and low-cost preparation. However, the energy resolution (ER) and stability of OIHP detectors still lag far behind those of melt-grown inorganic perovskite and commercial CdZnTe counterparts due to the absence of detector-grade high-quality OIHP SCs. Here, we reveal that the crystallinity and uniformity of OIHP SCs are drastically improved by relieving interfacial stress with a facial gel-confined solution growth strategy, thus enabling the direct preparation of large-area detector-grade SC wafers up to 4 cm with drastically suppressed electronic and ionic defects. The resultant radiation detectors show both a small dark current below 1 nA and excellent baseline stability of 4.0 × 10−8 nA cm−1 s−1 V−1, which are rarely realized in OIHP detectors. Consequently, a record high ER of 4.9% at 59.5 keV is achieved under a standard 241Am gamma-ray source with an ultralow operating bias of 5 V, representing the best gamma-ray spectroscopy performance among all solution-processed semiconductor radiation detectors ever reported.

Energy resolution of the LZ detector for high-energy electronic recoils

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) detector is a dual-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC) installed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Lead, South Dakota) at a depth of 1478 meters. Although the main objective of LZ is the direct detection of dark matter, its low background environment allows for the search of other rare processes, such as the neutrinoless double beta decay of xenon isotopes 134Xe and 136Xe with the respective Q-values of 826 keV and 2458 keV. The sensitivity of the detector to these decays is directly determined by the energy resolution, which, in turn, is degraded by non-uniformities in detector response. In this work, we present a novel method to correct, in the data, the non-uniformity of the light collected by an array of photosensors in a scintillation detector. This method is based on the knowledge of the light response functions of individual photosensors. With these techniques, we report, at a very early phase of the detector operations, a state-of-the-art energy resolution (σ/μ) of (0.67 ± 0.01)% at 2614 keV for the fiducial volume of 5.6 tonnes of liquid xenon.

Investigation of defects in melt and solution grown perovskite CsPbBr3 single crystals

Recently, there has been considerable interest in x-ray and gamma ray detectors with large volume and high energy resolution that operate at room temperature. To improve detector energy resolution, the carrier mobility-lifetime product needs to be increased, and the electronic trap state concentration needs to be minimized. Defect concentrations in the part per billion range can alter the charge transport and carrier recombination lifetime. In this work, thermally stimulated current spectroscopy measurements were systematically carried out in bulk halide perovskite single crystals of CsPbBr3 over a temperature range of 80–320 K. The origins and trap parameters of CsPbBr3 crystals from the solution growth and melt growth procedures were determined and compared. Trap concentrations were ranged from 1 × 1011 to 1 × 1016 cm−3. Appreciable detector performance was observed for CsPbBr3 crystals with trap concentrations less than 1 × 1014 cm−3. The comparison of spectral responses of crystal samples grown using two different methods shows that, after purification, solution-grown crystals are comparable to melt-grown crystals in terms of low defect concentration and improved detector performance. For an improved mobility-lifetime product and enhanced spectral response to high energy radiation from fissile materials, trap states in either type of a crystal ingot must be reduced closer to 1011 cm−3.

Exclusion and Verification of Remote Nuclear Reactors with a 1-kiloton Gd -Doped Water Detector

To date, antineutrino experiments built for the purpose of demonstrating a nonproliferation capability have typically employed organic scintillators situated as close to the core as possible (typically at a distance of a few meters to tens of meters) and have not exceeded a few tons in size. One problem with this approach is that proximity to the reactor core requires accommodation by the host facility. Water Cherenkov detectors located offsite, at distances of a few kilometers or greater, may facilitate nonintrusive monitoring and verification of reactor activities over a large area. As the standoff distance increases, the detector target mass must scale accordingly. This paper quantifies the degree to which a kiloton-scale gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector can exclude the existence of undeclared reactors within a specified distance, and remotely detect the presence of a hidden reactor in the presence of declared reactors, by verifying the operational power and standoff distance using a Feldman-Cousins-based likelihood analysis. A 1-kton scale (fiducial) water Cherenkov detector can exclude gigawatt-scale nuclear reactors up to tens of kilometers within a year. When attempting to identify the specific range and power of a reactor, the detector energy resolution is not sufficient to delineate between the two.

Towards a sub-percent precision measurement of sin2θ13 with reactor antineutrinos

Measuring the neutrino mixing parameter sin2θ13 to the sub-percent precision level could be necessary in the next ten years for the precision unitary test of the PMNS matrix. In this work, we discuss the possibility of such a measurement with reactor antineutrinos. We find that a single liquid scintillator detector on a reasonable scale could achieve the goal. We propose to install a detector of ∼ 10% energy resolution at about 2.0 km from the reactors with a JUNO-like overburden. The integrated luminosity requirement is about 150 kton · GW · year, corresponding to 4 years’ operation of a 4 kton detector near a reactor complex of 9.2 GW thermal power like Taishan reactor. Unlike the previous θ13 experiments with identical near and far detectors, which can suppress the systematics especially the rate uncertainty by the near-far relative measurement and the optimal baseline is at the first oscillation maximum of about 1.8 km, a single-detector measurement prefers to offset the baseline from the oscillation maximum. At low statistics ≲ 10 kton · GW · year, the rate uncertainty dominates the systematics, and the optimal baseline is about 1.3 km. At higher statistics, the spectral shape uncertainty becomes dominant, and the optimal baseline shifts to about 2.0 km. The optimal baseline keeps being ∼ 2.0 km for an integrated luminosity up to 106 kton · GW · year. Impacts of other factors on the precision sin2θ13 measurement are also discussed. We have assumed that the TAO experiment will improve our understanding of the spectral shape uncertainty, which gives the highest precision measurement of reactor antineutrino spectrum for neutrino energy in the range of 3–6 MeV. We find that the optimal baseline is ∼ 2.9 km with a flat input spectral shape uncertainty provided by the future summation or conversion methods’ prediction. The shape uncertainty would be the bottleneck of the sin2θ13 precision measurement. The sin2θ13 precision is not sensitive to the detector energy resolution and the precision of other oscillation parameters.

Resolving Power of Visible-To-Near-Infrared Hybrid β−Ta/Nb−Ti−N Kinetic Inductance Detectors

Kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) are superconducting energy-resolving detectors, sensitive to single photons from the near-infrared to ultraviolet. We study a hybrid KID design consisting of a $\ensuremath{\beta}$-phase tantalum ($\ensuremath{\beta}$-$\mathrm{Ta}$) inductor and a $\mathrm{Nb}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Ti}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{N}$ interdigitated capacitor. The devices show an average intrinsic quality factor ${Q}_{i}$ of $4.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$. To increase the power captured by the light-sensitive inductor, we 3D print an array of $150\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}150\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\text{\ensuremath{\mu}}\mathrm{m}$ resin microlenses on the backside of the sapphire substrate. The shape deviation between design and printed lenses is smaller than $1\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\text{\ensuremath{\mu}}\mathrm{m}$, and the alignment accuracy of this process is ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{x}=+5.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\text{\ensuremath{\mu}}\mathrm{m}$ and ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{y}=+8.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.3\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\text{\ensuremath{\mu}}\mathrm{m}$. We measure a resolving power for 1545--402 nm that is limited to 4.9 by saturation in the KID's phase response. We can model the saturation in the phase response with the evolution of the number of quasiparticles generated by a photon event. An alternative coordinate system that has a linear response raises the resolving power to 5.9 at 402 nm. We verify the measured resolving power with a two-line measurement using a laser source and a monochromator. We discuss several improvements that can be made to the devices on a route towards KID arrays with high resolving powers.

Tracking the same fast-LGSO crystals by changing surface treatments for better coincidence timing resolution in PET

Achieving fast coincidence timing resolution (CTR) is an important issue in clinical time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) to improve the reconstructed image quality. One of the major factors affecting the CTR is the crystal surface treatment, which is often parameterized as surface roughness. However, previous studies on the crystal surface treatment optimization had two limitations of crystal-by-crystal variation and worse CTR over 200 ps. Here, we report the effects of the crystal surface treatment on the performance of a 20 mm long fast-LGSO crystal based TOF detector by tracking the same crystals in the sub-180 ps CTR regime. The light collection efficiency (LCE), energy resolution (ER) and CTR of the TOF detector were evaluated with six different crystal surface treatments of chemically polished (C.P), C.P half side roughened (1/2S) treatment, and then the C.P one side roughened (1S) treatment, mechanically polished (M.P) treatment, M.P 1/2S treatment, and M.P 1S treatment. The four lateral surfaces of each crystal were wrapped by using enhanced specular reflector film while the top surface was covered by using Teflon tape. The bottom surface of the crystal was optically coupled to a silicon photomultiplier. The timing and energy signals were extracted by using a custom-made high-frequency readout circuit, and then digitized by using a waveform digitizer. All the experimental conditions were same except the crystal surface treatment. Among the six different crystal surface treatments, the M.P 1S would be the optimal crystal surface treatment which balanced enhancements in the CTR (165 ± 3 ps) and ER (10.5 ± 0.5%). Unlike the M.P 1S, the C.P 1S did not enhance the CTR and ER. Hence, the C.P without roughening would be the second-best optimal crystal surface treatment which balanced the CTR (169 ± 3 ps) and ER (10.5 ± 0.5%).