Novel semiconductor detectors for fundamental and applied research
The main goal of the project "Novel semiconductor detectors for fundamental and applied research" is the development and methodological study of a new class of physical devices - hybrid pixel semiconductor detectors operating in the mode of counting individual particles.
In 2015, theme 1126 was opened. The main goal of the work is the development and methodological research of a new class of physical devices - hybrid pixel semiconductor detectors operating in the single-particle counting mode. These devices first appeared at the turn of the 2000s and differ from other pixel detectors by the ability to process and digitize the signal directly in the pixel, which makes it possible to obtain data on the energy of each particle falling into an individual pixel in addition to coordinate information.
The ability to measure the energy of an X-ray gamma ray opens up new possibilities that were previously unavailable. Having such information, you can determine not only the absorption capacity of individual elements of the object under study, but also determine the material of this element. Thus, in medical X-ray tomographs, the identification of substances in individual parts of a living organism provides vital information about metabolic pathways, tissue components and delivery mechanisms of these substances. This task is of particular importance when studying drug delivery. Carrying out such studies using X-ray computed tomography (CT) is currently difficult due to the lack of available detection systems with high spatial resolution and capable of measuring the energy of gamma rays. The goal of this project is to create a hardware and software basis for the development of detection systems with hybrid pixel detectors and radiographic medical and industrial equipment based on them. As a result of the project, prototypes of new energy-sensitive pixel detectors will be developed and manufactured in industry.
Expected results upon completion of the project:
The main direction of further work will be the development of our own ASIC and the production of new energy-sensitive semiconductor X-ray image detectors and equipment for:
- creating a hardware and software basis for the development of new types of X-ray devices for medical and industrial diagnostics, including computed tomography;
- improving methods for identifying substances in x-ray studies using data on the measured energy of gamma quanta.