Technologies Available for License

2015-010: High-rate Photon Counter with Pile-up Rejection

Invention: 2015-010

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Number 10,126,167 was issued on November 13, 2018

For technical and licensing related questions, email tcp@bnl.gov.

Summary

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Block diagram of the proposed architecture.

This invention describes an electronics architecture, suitable for high-rate photon-counting integrated circuits operating with multi-element radiation detectors. Additionally, the system allows for more accurate photon amplitude detection, as false peaks resulting from pile-up error may be rejected.

Description

A multitude of charge-amplification and counting electronics circuits effective to detect photon receiving events each including (i) a charge amplifier functioning for amplifying the signal output by a radiation detection element and incorporating a gain equalization circuit functioning for adjusting the gain of the amplified output signal, (ii) a number of comparators functioning for comparing the gain-adjusted amplified output signal to a variety of different valued trigger threshold signals that are independently adjustable of each other, (iii) a number of counters functioning so the counter associated with the lowest threshold comparator is incremented at any threshold crossing event occurring during the falling edge of the gain adjusted amplified output signal, and (iv) the counters associated with the other threshold comparators are incremented only at the threshold crossing event occurring during the first falling edge of the gain adjusted amplified output signal, while the next threshold crossing events will be ignored until the output signal falls below the lowest threshold.

Journal Publication & Intellectual Property

• US 10,126,167 B2 (.pdf)