Improvement of crystal identification performance for a four-layer DOI detector composed of crystals segmented by laser processing

We have developed a four-layer depth of interaction (DOI) detector with single-side photon readout, in which segmented crystals with the patterned reflector insertion are separately identified by the Anger-type calculation. Optical conditions between segmented crystals, where there is no reflector, affect crystal identification ability. Our objective of this work was to improve crystal identification performance of the four-layer DOI detector that uses crystals segmented with a recently developed laser processing technique to include laser processed boundaries (LPBs). The detector consisted of 2 x 2 x 4 mm(3) LYSO crystals and a 4 x 4 array multianode photomultiplier tube (PMT) with 4.5 mm anode pitch. The 2D position map of the detector was calculated by the Anger calculation method. At first, influence of optical condition on crystal identification was evaluated for a one-layer detector consisting of a 2 x 2 crystal array with three different optical conditions between the crystals: crystals stuck together using room temperature vulcanized (RTV) rubber, crystals with air coupling and segmented crystals with LPBs. The crystal array with LPBs gave the shortest distance between crystal responses in the 2D position map compared with the crystal array coupled with RTV rubber or air due to the great amount of cross-talk between segmented crystals with LPBs. These results were used to find optical conditions offering the optimum distance between crystal responses in the 2D position map for the four-layer DOI detector. Crystal identification performance for the four-layer DOI detector consisting of an 8x8 array of crystals segmented with LPBs was examined and it was not acceptable for the crystals in the first layer. The crystal identification was improved for the first layer by changing the optical conditions between all 2x2 crystal arrays of the first layer to RTV coupling. More improvement was observed by combining different optical conditions between all crystals of the first layer and some crystals of the second and the third layers of the segmented array. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.