Improvement of the spatial resolution of ion imaging system using thinned sensor substrate

Author(s):  
Wataru Inami ◽  
Kiyohisa Nii ◽  
Satoru Shibano ◽  
Hikaru Tomita ◽  
Yohimasa Kawata
Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Hae Gyun Lim ◽  
Hyung Ham Kim ◽  
Changhan Yoon

High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) imaging has emerged as an essential tool for pre-clinical studies and clinical applications such as ophthalmic and dermatologic imaging. HFUS imaging systems based on array transducers capable of dynamic receive focusing have considerably improved the image quality in terms of spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to those by the single-element transducer-based one. However, the array system still suffers from low spatial resolution and SNR in out-of-focus regions, resulting in a blurred image and a limited penetration depth. In this paper, we present synthetic aperture imaging with a virtual source (SA-VS) for an ophthalmic application using a high-frequency convex array transducer. The performances of the SA-VS were evaluated with phantom and ex vivo experiments in comparison with the conventional dynamic receive focusing method. Pre-beamformed radio-frequency (RF) data from phantoms and excised bovine eye were acquired using a custom-built 64-channel imaging system. In the phantom experiments, the SA-VS method showed improved lateral resolution (>10%) and sidelobe level (>4.4 dB) compared to those by the conventional method. The SNR was also improved, resulting in an increased penetration depth: 16 mm and 23 mm for the conventional and SA-VS methods, respectively. Ex vivo images with the SA-VS showed improved image quality at the entire depth and visualized structures that were obscured by noise in conventional imaging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. T12005
Author(s):  
J. Nagata ◽  
S. Yamamoto ◽  
Y. Noguchi ◽  
T. Nakaya ◽  
K. Okudaira ◽  
...  

Abstract In high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, verification of the Ir-192 source's position during treatment is needed because such a source is extremely radioactive. One of the methods used to measure the source position is based on imaging the gamma rays from the source, but the absolute position in a patient cannot be confirmed. To confirm the absolute position, it is necessary to acquire an optical image in addition to the gamma ray image at the same time as well as the same position. To simultaneously image the gamma ray and optical images, we developed an imaging system composed of a low-sensitivity, high-resolution gamma camera integrated with a CMOS camera. The gamma camera has a 1-mm-thick cerium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite (YAIO3: YAP(Ce)) scintillator plate optically coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT), and a 0.1-mm-diameter pinhole collimator was mounted in front of the camera to improve spatial resolution and reduce sensitivity. We employed the concept of a periscope by placing two mirrors tilted at 45 degrees facing each other in front of the gamma camera to image the same field of view (FOV) for the gamma camera and the CMOS camera. The spatial resolution of the imaging system without the mirrors at 100 mm from the Ir-192 source was 3.2 mm FWHM, and the sensitivity was 0.283 cps/MBq. There was almost no performance degradation observed when the mirrors were positioned in front of the gamma camera. The developed system could measure the Ir-192 source positions in optical and gamma ray images. We conclude that the developed imaging system has the potential to measure the absolute position of an Ir-192 source in real-time clinical measurements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 07002
Author(s):  
H. Al Hamrashdi ◽  
S. D. Monk ◽  
D. Cheneler

The design and configuration of a multi-layered imaging system with the ability to detect thermal neutrons, fast neutrons and gamma rays has been developed and its efficacy demonstrated. The work presented here numerically determines the systems efficiency and spatial resolution, using 252Cf and 137Cs as a case study. The novelty of this detection system lies in the use of small form factor detectors in a three-layer design, which utilises neutron elastic scattering and Compton scattering simultaneously. The current configuration consists of 10 mm thick natural lithium glass (GS10) scintillator integrated with a 20 mm thick plastic scintillator (EJ-204) in the first layer, a 15 mm thick lithium glass (GS10) scintillator in the second and a 30 mm thick CsI(Tl) scintillator forming the final layer. Each of these layers is backed with an 8 x 8 silicon photomultiplier diode (SiPM) array. The overall size of the imaging system is 27 mm x 27 mm x 135 mm. MCNPv6.1 and Geant4-10.04 were alternatively used to optimise the overall configuration and to investigate detection modalities. Results show promising performance with high precision source localisation and characterization abilities. Measurements were virtually obtained of two gamma-ray sources within steel enclosures at angles of 15°, 30° and 50° separation in order to test spatial resolution ability of the system. With the current active size of the system and the 8x8 SiPM configuration, the results estimate the spatial resolution to be close to 30°. The ability of the system to characterise and identify sources based on the type and energy of the radiation emitted, has been investigated and results show that for all radiation types the system can identify the source energy within the energy range of typical reported sources in literature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Aiazzi ◽  
Massimo Selva ◽  
Alberto Arienzo ◽  
Stefano Baronti

A noticeable topic to be pursued in the field of on-board real-time data processing is the influence of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the image acquisition system on the lossless compressibility of raw (that is, uncalibrated) hyperspectral data. Actually, notwithstanding the system device is constrained by several design and manufacturing requirements, the impact of the on-board MTF on the performance of data compressors is becoming remarkable. In particular, the aim of reducing both transmission bandwidth/power and mass storage can be efficiently pursued. Such an analysis is expected to be useful especially for systems employed in mini-satellites, whose payload must be compact and light. From this perspective, this paper investigates the performance of a typical imaging system that acquires low/medium-spatial-resolution images, by considering high-resolution reference data, which simulate the real scene to be imaged. To this end, standard Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Aviris 2006 data have been chosen, due to their spatial resolution of 17 m, which is adequate to be a reference for simulated data whose spatial resolution is foreseen between 50 and 150 m. MTF requirements are usually provided based on the cut-off value of the amplitude at the Nyquist frequency, which is defined as a half of the sampling frequency. Typically, a cut-off value between 0 . 2 and 0 . 3 ensures that a sufficient amount of information is delivered from the scene to the acquired image, by avoiding at the same time the degradation due to an excessive aliasing distortion. All the scores are achieved by running the standard lossless compression scheme CCSDS 1.2.3.0-B-1 for multispectral/hyperspectral data, as a function of the cut-off value and different noise acquisition levels. The final results, and related plots, show that this analysis can suggest a suitable choice for the cut-off value, to ensure both a sufficient quality and low bit rates for the transmitted data to the ground station.


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. LABATE ◽  
M. GALIMBERTI ◽  
A. GIULIETTI ◽  
D. GIULIETTI ◽  
L.A. GIZZI ◽  
...  

Ray-tracing simulations of an optical X-ray system based on a spherically bent crystal operating in Bragg configuration for monochromatic projection imaging of thin samples are presented, obtained using a code developed for that purpose. The code is particularly suited for characterizing experimental arrangements routinely used with laser-produced plasma X-ray sources. In particular, the spatial resolution of the imaging system was investigated and a careful study of the complex pattern of the X-ray backlighting beam was performed.


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