X-ray imaging using single photon processing with semiconductor pixel detectors

More than 10 years experience with semiconductor pixel detectors for vertex detection in high-energy physics experiments together with the steady progress in CMOS technology opened the way for the development of single photon processing pixel detectors for various applications including medical X-ray imaging. The state of the art of such pixel devices consists of pixel dimensions as small as 55×55 μm2, electronic noise per pixel <100 e− rms, signal-to-noise discrimination levels around 1000 e− with a spread <50 e− and a dynamic range up to 32 bits/pixel. Moreover, the high granularity of hybrid pixel detectors makes it possible to probe inhomogeneities of the attached semiconductor sensor.