14C autoradiography with an energy-sensitive silicon pixel detector

Phys Med Biol. 2011 Apr 7;56(7):1947-65. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/56/7/003. Epub 2011 Mar 2.

Abstract

The first performance tests are presented of a carbon-14 ((14)C) beta-particle digital autoradiography system with an energy-sensitive hybrid silicon pixel detector based on the Timepix readout circuit. Timepix was developed by the Medipix2 Collaboration and it is similar to the photon-counting Medipix2 circuit, except for an added time-based synchronization logic which allows derivation of energy information from the time-over-threshold signal. This feature permits direct energy measurements in each pixel of the detector array. Timepix is bump-bonded to a 300 µm thick silicon detector with 256 × 256 pixels of 55 µm pitch. Since an energetic beta-particle could release its kinetic energy in more than one detector pixel as it slows down in the semiconductor detector, an off-line image analysis procedure was adopted in which the single-particle cluster of hit pixels is recognized; its total energy is calculated and the position of interaction on the detector surface is attributed to the centre of the charge cluster. Measurements reported are detector sensitivity, (4.11 ± 0.03) × 10(-3) cps mm(-2) kBq(-1) g, background level, (3.59 ± 0.01) × 10(-5) cps mm(-2), and minimum detectable activity, 0.0077 Bq. The spatial resolution is 76.9 µm full-width at half-maximum. These figures are compared with several digital imaging detectors for (14)C beta-particle digital autoradiography.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Autoradiography / instrumentation*
  • Beta Particles
  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Copper
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Silicon*
  • Spectrum Analysis

Substances

  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Copper
  • Silicon