Mini-strip ionization chamber for (gamma)-ray imaging

We are developing a liquid xenon ionization chamber for single-photon radioisotope imaging in nuclear medicine. The chamber has a mini-strip plate made of glass substrate with metal strips deposited along two perpendicular directions. Here, we report on a version of this chamber with an additional grid, improved trigger capability and the development of the multichannel readout system based on highly integrated low-noise front-end electronics and dedicated data acquisition system. The average root mean square (rms) noise between 250 and 350 electrons has been achieved with the front-end electronics operated at the temperature of -100(degree)C. The whole system was tested with 122 keV (gamma)-rays from /sup 57/Co.