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Digital radiography systems use flat panel detectors instead of cassettes and can be table, wall, or wireless units. There are two types of detectors: direct and indirect conversion. Direct conversion immediately converts x-rays to electrical signals using a material like amorphous selenium. Indirect conversion uses a phosphor layer to first convert x-rays to light, which is then converted to electrical signals. Different phosphor materials like gadolinium oxysulphide and cesium iodide are used, with cesium iodide needles providing better spatial resolution by channeling light.

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36 views5 pages

Five

Digital radiography systems use flat panel detectors instead of cassettes and can be table, wall, or wireless units. There are two types of detectors: direct and indirect conversion. Direct conversion immediately converts x-rays to electrical signals using a material like amorphous selenium. Indirect conversion uses a phosphor layer to first convert x-rays to light, which is then converted to electrical signals. Different phosphor materials like gadolinium oxysulphide and cesium iodide are used, with cesium iodide needles providing better spatial resolution by channeling light.

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Notebook Five

Digital Radiography
DR systems eliminate the need for cassettes completely. Initially, they were only
seen in the table or wall units, but now there are wireless DR cassettes.
There are two types of DR systems:
Direct Conversion
Indirect Conversion
Direct Conversion:
X-ray photons are absorbed by the coating material and immediately
converted into an electrical signal
The flat panel detector has a radiation-conversion material or
photoconductor usually made of amorphous selenium. This is what
absorbs the x-rays and converts them to electrons which are stored.
A TFT (thin-film transistor) is a photosensitive array made up of small pixels
that hold the stored electrons
Each pixel contains a photodiode that absorbs the electrons and generates
electrical charges
A field effect transistor (FET) or silicon TFT isolates each pixel element and
reacts like a switch to send the electrical charges to the image processor.
Specialized silicon integrated circuits are connected along the edges of the
detector matrix
A line of TFT switches allows the electrical charge information to discharge
when the switches are closed
Each pixel is read digitally by low noise electronics and sent to the image
processor
Indirect Conversion:
X-ray photons are converted to light and then the light photons are converted to light,
and then the light photons are converted to an electrical signal.
The phosphor layer, also known as the scintillator layer, can be structured or
unstructured.
Unstructured layers produce more scattered light than structured layers,
thereby decreasing the efficiency of the detector.
The light converted into an electric charge by a photodetector such as a
hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)photodiode array.

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Indirect conversion is a two-step process:
1. X-ray photons striking the dielectric receptor are absorbed by scintillation or
phosphor material in the imaging plate that converts the incident x-ray photon
energy to light.
2. A photosensitive array, made up of small pixels, converts the light into electrical
charges. Each pixel contains a photodiode that absorbs the light from the scintillator
and generates electrical charges . A FET or silicon TFT are the switches, by
isolating each pixel element and sending their electrical charges to the image
processor.

Gadolinium Oxysulphide (Gd2O2S) Detectors:


This type of detector is made from small crystals bound together in an unstructured
or turbid layer along with a polyurethane material. This layer of crystals if filled with
air pockets that allow light that was generated in the phosphor, to escape. Light also
escapes laterally before it reaches the surface, which reduces the efficiency of the
phosphor, lowering spatial resolution.
This was mainly used for rugged detectors, like in portables (wired or wireless).

Csl Detectors:
This is the most popular type of amorphous silicon detectors. This scintillator is
made by growing very thin crystalline needles perpendicular to the detector surface.
These crystalline needles work as light-directing tubes, similar to fiber optics.
Because of their growth pattern, they are considered a structured scintillator. These
needles can be evaporated on to the surface of the layer, or they can be grown with
a seed layer. This allows for them to have greater x-ray detection and because there
is very little light spread, the spatial resolution is higher.
The needles:
Absorb x-ray photons
Convert their energy into light - this channels the light into amorphous silicon
diode array
They were originally only used in a protective environment because of their delicate
structure, but with new advanced material, they are now used in portables as well.

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Terminology

CCD: The oldest indirect-conversion digital radiography system. In this system, x-ray
photons interact with a scintillation material and the signal is transmitted by lenses or by
fiber optics to the CCD
CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor): A system developed by NASA
that uses a scintillator that, when struck with x-ray photons, converts the x-rays into light
photons and store them in capacitors.
Pixel: Basic picture element in the matrix
Dynamic Range: The ability of an imaging system to respond to varying levels of
exposure.
Bit: Single unit of data
Byte: 8 bits and is the amount of memory needed to store one alphanumeric character.
Bit Depth: The amount/number of bits in a pixel
Matrix: A table of numbers that represent the pixels that will be displayed on the monitor.
Exposure Latitude: Shows if the exposure was over or under exposed and if you can still
get an adequate image.

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