The Solid State X-ray Image Intensifier (SSXII) in Single Photon Counting (SPC) mode

Cascaded systems analysis of photon counting detectors

PURPOSE

Photon counting detectors (PCDs) are an emerging technology with applications in spectral and low-dose radiographic and tomographic imaging. This paper develops an analytical model of PCD imaging performance, including the system gain, modulation transfer function (MTF), noise-power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE).

METHODS

A cascaded systems analysis model describing the propagation of quanta through the imaging chain was developed. The model was validated in comparison to the physical performance of a silicon-strip PCD implemented on an experimental imaging bench. The signal response, MTF, and NPS were measured and compared to theory as a function of exposure conditions (70 kVp, 1-7 mA), detector threshold, and readout mode (i.e., the option for coincidence detection). The model sheds new light on the dependence of spatial resolution, charge sharing, and additive noise effects on threshold selection and was used to investigate the factors governing PCD performance, including the fundamental advantages and limitations of PCDs in comparison to energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) in the linear regime for which pulse pileup can be ignored.

RESULTS

The detector exhibited highly linear mean signal response across the system operating range and agreed well with theoretical prediction, as did the system MTF and NPS. The DQE analyzed as a function of kilovolt (peak), exposure, detector threshold, and readout mode revealed important considerations for system optimization. The model also demonstrated the important implications of false counts from both additive electronic noise and charge sharing and highlighted the system design and operational parameters that most affect detector performance in the presence of such factors: for example, increasing the detector threshold from 0 to 100 (arbitrary units of pulse height threshold roughly equivalent to 0.5 and 6 keV energy threshold, respectively), increased the f50 (spatial-frequency at which the MTF falls to a value of 0.50) by ∼30% with corresponding improvement in DQE. The range in exposure and additive noise for which PCDs yield intrinsically higher DQE was quantified, showing performance advantages under conditions of very low-dose, high additive noise, and high fidelity rejection of coincident photons.

CONCLUSIONS

The model for PCD signal and noise performance agreed with measurements of detector signal, MTF, and NPS and provided a useful basis for understanding complex dependencies in PCD imaging performance and the potential advantages (and disadvantages) in comparison to EIDs as well as an important guide to task-based optimization in developing new PCD imaging systems.

Graphical User Interface for a Dual-Module EMCCD X-ray Detector Array

A new Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed using Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) for a high-resolution, high-sensitivity Solid State X-ray Image Intensifier (SSXII), which is a new x-ray detector for radiographic and fluoroscopic imaging, consisting of an array of Electron-Multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs) each having a variable on-chip electron-multiplication gain of up to 2000× to reduce the effect of readout noise. To enlarge the field-of-view (FOV), each EMCCD sensor is coupled to an x-ray phosphor through a fiberoptic taper. Two EMCCD camera modules are used in our prototype to form a computer-controlled array; however, larger arrays are under development. The new GUI provides patient registration, EMCCD module control, image acquisition, and patient image review. Images from the array are stitched into a 2k×1k pixel image that can be acquired and saved at a rate of 17 Hz (faster with pixel binning). When reviewing the patient's data, the operator can select images from the patient's directory tree listed by the GUI and cycle through the images using a slider bar. Commonly used camera parameters including exposure time, trigger mode, and individual EMCCD gain can be easily adjusted using the GUI. The GUI is designed to accommodate expansion of the EMCCD array to even larger FOVs with more modules. The high-resolution, high-sensitivity EMCCD modular-array SSXII imager with the new user-friendly GUI should enable angiographers and interventionalists to visualize smaller vessels and endovascular devices, helping them to make more accurate diagnoses and to perform more precise image-guided interventions.

Measuring the presampled MTF from a reduced number of flat-field images using the Noise Response (NR) method

We evaluate a new method for measuring the presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) using the noise power spectrum (NPS) obtained from a few flat-field images acquired at one exposure level. The NPS is the sum of structure, quantum, and additive instrumentation noise, which are proportional to exposure squared, exposure, and a constant, respectively, with the spatial-frequency dependence of the quantum noise depending partly on the detector MTF. Cascaded linear-systems theory was used to derive an exact and generic relationship that was used to isolate noise terms and enable determination of the MTF directly from the noise response, thereby circumventing the need for precision test objects (slit, edge, etc.) as required by standard techniques. Isolation of the quantum NPS by fitting the total NPS versus exposure obtained using 30 flat-field images each at six or more different exposure levels with a linear regression provides highly accurate MTFs. A subset of these images from indirect digital detectors was used to investigate the accuracy of measuring the MTF from 30 or fewer flat-field images obtained at a single exposure level. Analyzing as few as two images acquired at a single exposure resulted in no observable systematic error. Increasing the number of images analyzed resulted in an increase in accuracy. Fifteen images provided comparable accuracy with the most rigorous slope approach, with less than 5% variability, suggesting additional image acquisitions may be unnecessary. Reducing the number of images acquired for the noise response method further simplifies and facilitates routine MTF measurements.

Performance Trade-Off Analysis Comparing Different Front-End Configurations for a Digital X-ray Imager

Performance of indirect digital x-ray imagers is typically limited by the front-end components. Present x-ray-to-light converting phosphors significantly reduce detector resolution due to stochastic blurring and k-fluorescent x-ray reabsorption. Thinner phosphors improve resolution at the cost of lowering quantum detection efficiency (QDE) and increasing Swank noise. Magnifying fiber optic tapers (FOTs) are commonly used to increase the field-of-view of small sensor imagers, such as CMOS, CCD, or electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD) based detectors, which results in a reduction in detector sensitivity and further reduces the MTF. We investigate performance trade-offs for different front-end configurations coupled to an EMCCD sensor with 8 μm pixels. Six different columnar structured CsI(Tl) scintillators with thicknesses of 100, 200, 350, 500, and 1000 μm type high-light (HL) and a 350 μm type high-resolution (HR) (Hamamatsu) and four different FOTs with magnification ratios (M) of 1, 2.5, 3.3, and 4 were studied using the RQA5 x-ray spectrum. The relative signal of the different scintillators largely followed the relative QDE, indicating their light output per absorbed x-ray was similar, with the type HR CsI emitting 57% of the type HL. The efficiency of the FOTs was inversely proportional to M(2) with the M = 1 FOT transmitting 87% of the incident light. At 5 (10) cycles/mm, the CsI MTF was 0.38 (0.22), 0.33 (0.17), 0.37 (0.19), 0.23 (0.09), 0.19 (0.08), and 0.09 (0.03) for the 100, 200, 350HR, 350, 500, and 1000 μm CsI, respectively and the FOT MTF was 0.89 (0.84), 0.80 (0.72), 0.70 (0.60), and 0.69 (0.37) for M = 1, 2.5, 3.3, and 4, respectively. The 1000, 500, and 350HR μm CsI had the highest DQE for low, medium, and high spatial frequency ranges of 0 to 1.6, 1.6 to 4.5, and 4.5 to 10 cycles/mm, respectively. Larger FOT M resulted in a reduction in DQE. Quantifying performance of different front-end configurations will enable optimal selection of components for task-specific designs.