Candidate
Sebastian Lopez Maurino
Title
Design and Optimization of a Stacked Three-Layer X-ray Detector for Multi-Spectral Medical Imaging Applications
Supervisor
Karim Karim
Abstract
Dual-Energy (DE) imaging is a powerful technique in x-ray imaging that increases the ability to detect specific materials in a cluttered background, and is used to more accurately visualize anatomical features and diagnose abnormalities. I propose a new design of a stacked three-layer flat-panel x-ray detector for DE imaging. The design aims to address the current dose-efficiency challenges of single-shot imaging by simultaneously obtaining three spectrally-distinct images without wasting x-ray photons in a middle filter. I proceed to optimize the detector parameters for two sample imaging tasks that could particularly benefit from this new detector by obtaining the best possible signal to noise ratio per root entrance exposure using well-established theoretical models adapted to fit this new design. The results are compared with those of two competing DE technologies and validated using advanced Monte Carlo simulations for all detector setups. Given the performance expected from initial results and the recent decrease in price for digital x-ray detectors, the simplicity of the three-layer stacked imager approach appears promising to usher in a new generation of multi-spectral digital x-ray diagnostics.