Development of a sub-miniature gamma camera for multimodal imaging system

Abstract

In the recent past, gamma-ray imaging detectors have achieved an intrinsic spatial resolution of less than 1 mm within a few centimeters of a useful field of view (UFOV). Unlike to conventional gamma cameras, which are large and heavy, the compact gamma-ray imaging detectors can improve the performances of the gamma cameras used in the various fields. In this study, we developed a sub-miniature gamma camera for a multimodal imaging system. The camera has a gamma-ray detector, miniature electronics modules, and a diverging hole collimator. The detector consisted of the sub-millimeter pixelated Ce:GAGG array and the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array module. We organized the miniature electronics modules according to the functions; an MPPC base board, analog signal processing board, integrated power supply board, and compact data acquisition (DAQ) base board. The diverging hole collimator widened an imaging area of the gamma camera from the UFOV of the detector. On the detector side, dimensions of each hole and septa were identical to the pixel and inter-pixel thickness of the reflector of scintillator array. For the intrinsic performance test, we acquired a flood map image of 729 (27 x 27) scintillator pixels, and the energy resolution was 18.9% for an integrated energy histogram of Tc-99m (140 keV). For the extrinsic performance test, we used the Co-57 sheet source, and made a Tc-99m line source using a capillary tube. The sources located at 10 cm apart from the collimator surface. The imaging area was three times wider than the UFOV of the detector. The system sensitivity was 19 CPM/mu Ci and the spatial resolution was 3.5 mm. The usability of the proposed gamma camera will not be confined to existing applications due to its compactness and novelty.