The Munich Avalanche Diode PET-II is a positron emission tomograph for radiopharmaceutical studies in small animals. The detector architecture is based on individual readout of Lutetium Oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillation crystals by Avalanche Photodiodes (APD). A dual radial detector layer allows for extraction of depth of interaction information. Energy and time resolution have been investigated under various conditions with regard to readout electronics and temperature. A first animal study has been conducted.
The feasibility of using silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) as light sensors in MR compatible PET detectors has been studied. Using single channel devices, it could be shown that LSO-SiPM detectors exhibit a comparable energy resolution and a superior time resolution compared to LSO-APD detectors even by eliminating the need for complicated amplification electronics. Operation under the presence of magnetic fields has not shown degradation of the mentioned performance.
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