4π coded aperture imaging using 3d position-sensitive CdZnTe detectors

3D position sensitive CdZnTe semiconductor detectors have demonstrated 4π Compton imaging ability and excellent energy resolution at room-temperature operation. An array of such detectors would provide unique detection capabilities. However, Compton imaging is challenging at low energies due to the small Compton-scatter cross-section. This work extends the imaging capabilities to lower energies by utilizing multiple coded aperture masks. Each coded aperture mask is applied to one of five sides of a single 2cmx2cmx1.5cm CdZnTe detector via simulation. These simulations show that multiple weak, low energy sources with background can be imaged simultaneously. The ultimate objective is to apply multiple masks to cover 4π space, using an 18 detector array from the Polaris project.