Low-Dose High-Resolution Dental Radiography

描述（由申请人提供）：我们正在开发一种高分辨率，低剂量，直接转换的口腔内牙科x射线检测器。该检测器将以低剂量、高分辨率和低成本改善口腔内牙科成像。它可以整合到现有的牙科放射照相设备中，取代基于胶片或闪烁体的系统。当前闪烁体- ccd或- CMOS光电二极管阵列x射线探测器的剂量效率受到x射线到光的低效转换、光到探测器的传输以及光到电信号的转换的影响。我们成功开发了一种新的直接x射线转换器材料，多晶碘化汞，它是一种高z大带隙化合物半导体，具有出色的电荷收集性能。所提出的探测器是一种多晶碘化汞薄膜，用于将入射的x射线直接转换为电荷，并与CMOS读出结构耦合用于电荷读出。由于碘化汞薄膜的灵敏度很高，因此可以减少剂量。我们希望将该设备作为OEM组件广泛销售给牙科放射照相制造商。在一期项目中，我们将现有的专门为兼容HgI2而设计的高速大面积CMOS读出芯片应用于口腔内牙科应用。我们将测量原型设备的性能。在第二阶段，我们将定制CMOS读出芯片的封装，将薄主板和adc排列成垂直堆叠，根据牙科成像应用的需要修改HgI2沉积，并完成并测试完整的产品原型。我们将开发的产品将帮助牙医检测发际线裂缝和其他高分辨率特征，而患者将受益于减少终身x射线剂量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are developing a high-resolution, low-dose, direct-conversion x-ray detector for intraoral Dental radiography. The detector will improve intraoral Dental imaging with reduced dose, high resolution, and low detector cost. It can be incorporated into existing Dental radiography equipment, replacing film-based or scintillator-based systems. The dose efficiency of current scintillator-CCD or - CMOS photodiode array x-ray detectors is compromised by inefficient conversion of x-rays to light, transport of the light to the detector, and conversion of the light to electric signal. We have successfully developed a new direct x-ray converter material, polycrystalline mercuric iodide, which is a high-Z large-band-gap compound semiconductor with outstanding charge collection properties. The proposed detector is a thin film of polycrystalline mercuric iodide for direct conversion of incident x-rays into charge, coupled to a CMOS readout structure for charge readout. Dose reduction will be achieved due to the very high sensitivity of mercuric iodide films. We expect to widely market the device as an OEM component to Dental radiography manufacturers. In Phase I of the project, we adapt our existing specialized high-speed large-area CMOS readout chip, specially designed for compatibility with HgI2, to the intraoral Dental application. We will measure the performance of the prototype device. In Phase II we will customize the packaging of the CMOS readout chip with a thin motherboard and ADCs arranged into a vertical stack, modify the HgI2 deposition as required for the Dental imaging application, and complete and test a full product prototype. The product we will develop will help Dentists detect hairline cracks and other high-resolution features while patients will benefit from a reduced lifetime x-ray dose.