X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Electronic circuit – With display or signaling
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-14
2002-01-29
Kim, Robert H. (Department: 2882)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Electronic circuit
With display or signaling
C378S062000, C378S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343112
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (IF APPLICABLE)
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (if applicable)
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiments of the present invention generally relate to dual energy medical diagnostic imaging systems, and in particular relate to a method and apparatus for reducing photoconductive effects of solid state digital x-ray detectors in dual energy medical diagnostic imaging systems.
X-ray imaging has long been an accepted medical diagnostic tool. X-ray imaging systems are commonly used to capture images, such as thoracic, cervical, spinal, cranial, and abdominal images that often include information necessary for a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. X-ray imaging systems typically include an x-ray source and an x-ray sensor. When having a thoracic x-ray image taken, for example, a patient stands with his or her chest against the x-ray sensor as an x-ray technologist positions the x-ray sensor and the x-ray source at an appropriate height. X-rays produced by the source travel through the patient's chest, and the x-ray sensor then detects the x-ray energy generated by the source and attenuated to various degrees by different parts of the body. An associated control system obtains the detected x-ray energy from the x-ray sensor and prepares a corresponding diagnostic image on a display.
The x-ray sensor may be a conventional screen/film configuration, in which the screen converts the x-rays to light that exposes the film. The x-ray sensor may also be a solid state digital image detector. Digital detectors afford a significantly greater dynamic range than conventional screen/film configurations.
X-ray systems may be dual energy x-ray systems. The concept of dual energy is to take two exposures, one low energy and one high energy, to separate a low energy absorber (soft tissue) from a high energy absorber (bone). The two exposures are taken in rapid succession. The two exposures may be combined on an image pixel by image pixel (picture element) basis. Comparison of the two exposures produces improved detail contrast in soft tissue or bone.
One embodiment of a solid state digital x-ray detector may be comprised of a panel of semiconductor FETs and photodiodes. The FETs and photodiodes in the panel are typically arranged in rows (scan lines) and columns (data lines). A FET controller controls the order in which the FETs are turned on and off. The FETs are typically turned on, or activated, in rows. When the FETs are turned on, charge to establish the FET channel is drawn into the FET from both the source and the drain of the transistor. Due to the imperfect nature of the amorphous silicon FETs, the charge is retained temporarily when the FET is turned off and bleeds out, decaying, over time, which corrupts the desired signal in the form of an offset. The source of each FET is connected to a photodiode. The drain of each FET is connected to read-out electronics via data lines. Each photodiode integrates the light signal and discharges energy in proportion to the x-rays absorbed by the detector. The gates of the FETs are connected to the FET controller. The FET controller allows signals discharged from the panel of photodiodes to be read in an orderly fashion. The read-out electronics convert the signals discharged from photodiodes. The energy discharged by the photodiodes in the detector and converted by the read-out electronics is used by an acquisition system to activate pixels in the displayed digital diagnostic image. The panel of FETs and photodiodes is typically scanned by row. The corresponding pixels in the digital diagnostic image are typically activated in rows.
The FETs in the x-ray detector act as switches to control the charging and discharging of the photodiodes. When a FET is open, an associated photodiode is isolated from the read-out electronics and is discharged during an x-ray exposure. When the FET is closed, the photodiode is recharged to an initial charge by the read-out electronics. Light is emitted by a scintillator in response to x-rays absorbed from the source. The photodiodes sense the emitted light and are partially discharged. Thus, while the FETs are open, the photodiodes retain a charge representative of the is x-ray dose. When a FET is closed, a desired voltage across the photodiode is restored. The measured charge amount to re-establish the desired voltage becomes a measure of the x-ray dose integrated by the photodiode during the length of the x-ray exposure.
X-ray images may be used for many purposes. For instance, internal defects in a target object may be detected. Additionally, changes in internal structure or alignment may be determined. Furthermore, the image may show the presence or absence of object s in the target. The information gained from x-ray imaging has applications in many fields, including medicine and manufacturing.
In any imagine system, x-ray or otherwise, image quality is important. In this regard, x-ray imaging systems that use digital or solid state image detectors (“digital x-ray systems”) face certain unique difficulties. Difficulties in a digital x-ray image could include image artifacts, “ghost images,” or distortions in the digital x-ray image. One source of difficulty faced by digital x-ray systems is the photoconductive characteristics of semiconductor devices used in the digital x-ray systems.
Photoconductivity is an increase in electron conductivity of a material through optical (light) excitation of electrons in the material. Photoconductive characteristics are exhibited by the FETs used as switches in solid state x-ray detectors. Ideally, FET switches isolate the photodiode from the electronics which measure the charge restored to the photodiode. FETs exhibiting photoconductive characteristics do not completely isolate the photodiode from the system, when the FETs are open. Consequently, the FETs transfer excess charge to the read-out electronics. If the FETs transfer excess charge to the read-out electronics, the energy subsequently discharged from the photodiodes to activate the pixels in the digital image may be affected. The unintended charge leakage through the FETs may produce artifacts or may add a non-uniform offset value to each of the pixels in the digital x-ray image, thus producing a line artifact in the image.
FETs and other materials made of amorphous silicon also exhibit a characteristic referred to as charge retention. Charge retention is a structured phenomenon and may be controlled to a certain extent. Charge retention corresponds to the phenomenon whereby not all of the charge drawn into the FET to establish a conducting channel is forced out when the FET is turned off. The retained charge leaks out of the FET over time, even after the FET is turned off, and the leaked charge from the FET adds an offset to the signal read out of the photodiodes by the x-ray control system.
The FETs in the x-ray detector exhibit charge retention characteristics when voltage is applied to the gates of the FETs to read the rows of the x-ray detector. The detector rows are generally read in a predetermined manner, sequence, and time interval. The time interval may vary between read operations for complete frames of the x-ray image. When a FET is opened after the charge on an associated photodiode is read by a charge measurement unit, the FET retains a portion of the charge. Between read operations, the charge retained by the FETs leaks from the FETs to a charge measurement unit. The amount of charge that leaks from the FETs exponentially decays over time. The next read operation occurs before the entire retention charge leaks from the FETs. Consequently, the charge measurement unit measures during each read operation an amount of charge that is retained by the FETs during the read operation for the present scan line. The charge measurement unit also reads an amount of charge that was stored by FETs that were activated in scan lines preceding (in time) the current scan line in both the current (detector) re
Petrick Scott William
Somayaji Anupama
Dellapenna Michael A.
Dunn Drew A.
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC
Kim Robert H.
McAndrews Held & Malloy
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