Spectroscopic X-ray imaging with photon counting pixel detectors

Single particle counting hybrid pixel detectors simultaneously provide low noise, high granularity and high readout speed and make it possible to build detector systems offering high spatial resolution paired with good energy resolution. A limiting factor for the spectroscopic performance of such detector systems is charge sharing between neighbouring pixels in the sensor part of the detector. The signal spectrum at the collection electrodes of the readout electronics deviates significantly from the photonic spectrum when planar segmented sensor geometries are used. The Medipix3 implements a novel, distributed signal processing architecture linking neighbouring pixels and aims at eliminating the spectral distortion produced in the sensor by charge sharing and at reducing the impact of fluorescence photons generated in the sensor itself. Preliminary results from the very first Medipix3 readouts bump bonded to 300 pm Si sensor are presented. Material reconstruction is a possible future application of spectroscopic imaging detectors and an example of material reconstruction in small animal imaging is given. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.