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Maximizing Detection Efficiency of CZT and Scintillator Detectors - A Monte Carlo Study

Authors:
Changyeon Yoon

Keywords: CZT, LYSO, LGSO, Compton PET, GATE

Abstract:
This work investigates the potential advantages of a CZT-based Compton PET system over conventional micro-PET systems that rely on scintillator detectors. While traditional PET scanners only utilize photoelectric interactions and are limited in spatial resolution by scintillator voxel size, the CZT Compton PET system employs a CdZnTe semiconductor detector, offering finer energy and position resolution. Notably, its pixelated detector enables identification of interaction sequences, allowing both photoelectric and Compton events to contribute to image reconstruction. At 511 keV, Compton scattering has approximately three times the probability of photoelectric absorption, offering an opportunity to significantly enhance detection efficiency. To assess this advantage, three different detector materials were evaluated under both conventional PET and Compton PET configurations. Across all materials, the Compton-based systems consistently demonstrated superior detection efficiency and improved image quality. Among them, the CZT-based PET achieved the highest spatial resolution, while the LGSO-based system exhibited the best overall detection efficiency. Overall, Compton PET enhances image quality by increasing the number of usable events. CZT detectors are particularly well-suited for this approach, combining high spatial resolution with efficient event utilization.

Pages: 31 to 33

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025

Publication date: September 28, 2025

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4537

ISBN: 978-1-68558-300-2

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Dates: from September 28, 2025 to October 2, 2025