Evaluation of a modular PET system architecture with synchronization over data links

A DAQ architecture for a PET system is presented that focuses on modularity, scalability and reusability. The system defines two basic building blocks: data acquisitors and concentrators, which can be replicated in order to build a complete DAQ of variable size. Acquisition modules contain a scintillating crystal and either a PSPMT or a SiPM array. The detector signals are processed by AMIC, an integrated analog frontend that generates programmable analog outputs which contain the first few statistical moments of the light distribution in the scintillator. These signals are digitized at 156.25 MSPS with free-running ADCs and sent to an FPGA which detects single gamma events, extracts position and time information online using digital algorithms, and submits these data to a concentrator module. Concentrator modules collect single events from acquisition modules and perform coincidence detection and data aggregation. A synchronization scheme over data links is implemented that calibrates each link´s latency independently, ensuring that there are no limitations regarding the physical locations of the modules, and that the architecture is indefinitely scalable. Prototype boards with both adquisition and concentration functionality have been built for evaluation purposes. The performance of a small PET system with two detectors is presented, and results with PMT and SiPM photodetectors are compared.