SPADnet: A fully digital, networked approach to MRI compatible PET systems based on deep-submicron CMOS technology

This paper is the first comprehensive presentation of the SPADnet concept. SPADnet is a fully digital, networked MRI compatible time-of-flight PET system, exploiting the speed and integration density of deep-submicron CMOS technologies. The core enabling technologies of SPADnet are a sensor device comprising an array of 8×16 pixels, each composed of 4 mini-SiPMs with in situ time-to-digital conversion, a multi-ring network to filter, carry, and process data produced by the sensor devices at 2Gbps, and a 130nm CMOS process enabling mass-production of photonic modules that are optically interfaced to scintillator crystals. The SPADnet photonic modules comprise a matrix of tightly packed sensor devices; each module is networked in multiple rings, where coincidence pairs are identified and readily used in reconstruction algorithms, enabling scalable, MRI compatible pre-clinical PET systems for multi-modal imaging.