• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2018-2025
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• 2023

In our previous study, we proposed an integrated PG-PET-based imaging method to increase the prediction accuracy for patient dose distributions. The purpose of the present study is to experimentally validate the feasibility of the PG-PET system. Based on the detector geometry optimized in the previous study, we constructed a dual-head PG-PET system consisting of a 16 × 16 GAGG scintillator and KETEK SiPM arrays, BaSO₄ reflectors, and an 8 × 8 parallel-hole tungsten collimator. The performance of this system as equipped with a proof of principle, we measured the PG and positron emission (PE) distributions from a 3 × 6 × 10 cm³ PMMA phantom for a 45 MeV proton beam. The measured depth was about 17 mm and the expected depth was 16 mm in the computation simulation under the same conditions as the measurements. In the comparison result, we can find a 1 mm difference between computation simulation and measurement. In this study, our results show the feasibility of the PG-PET system for in-vivo range verification. However, further study should be followed with the consideration of the typical measurement conditions in the clinic application.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2662-2669
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• 2023

For the precise measurements of special nuclear materials (SNM) including Pu and Am isotopes, we have used phoswich detector combination of two single crystal scintillators of Gd₃Ga₃Al₂O₁₂:Ce and CsI:Tl. High detection efficiency and sensitivity along with high figure of merit for the discrimination of these phoswich detectors ensures the detection and discrimination of thermal neutrons and gammas from spontaneous fission of Pu and other isotopes in presence of high gamma background. Using this detector, the low energy gammas, which is stopped completely in 1mm thick disc of GGAG, can be also discriminated from high energies gamma and shows linearity in wide range of sample quantities. By changing only the appropriate shielding, the similar setup was used for thermal neutron detection and shows a very good linearity over wide range. The quantity of a test sample was also calculated accurately by using the measured calibrated plot.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2024

Background: The gamma emission tomography (GET) device has been reported a reliable technique to inspect partial defects within spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of pin-by-pin level. However, the existing GET devices have low accuracy owing to the high attenuation and scatter probability for SNF inspection condition. The purpose of this study is to design and optimize a Yonsei single-photon emission computed tomography version 2 (YSECT.v.2) for fast inspection of SNF in water storage by acquisition of high-quality tomographic images. Materials and Methods: Using Geant4 (Geant4 Collaboration) and DETECT-2000 (Glenn F. Knoll et al.) Monte Carlo simulation, the geometrical structure of the proposed device was determined and its performance was evaluated for the ¹³⁷Cs source in water. In a Geant4-based assessment, proposed device was compared with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-authenticated device for the quality of tomographic images obtained for 12 fuel sources in a 14 × 14 Westinghouse-type fuel assembly. Results and Discussion: According to the results, the length, slit width, and septal width of the collimator were determined to be 65, 2.1, and 1.5 mm, respectively, and the material and length of the trapezoidal-shaped scintillator were determined to be gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet and 45 mm, respectively. Based on the results of performance comparison between the YSECT.v.2 and IAEA's device, the proposed device showed 200 times higher performance in gamma-detection sensitivity and similar source discrimination probability. Conclusion: In this study, we optimally designed the GET device for improving the SNF inspection accuracy and evaluated its performance. Our results show that the YSECT.v.2 device could be employed for SNF inspection.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.287-292
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• 2008

Position information of radiation interactions in detection material is essential to reconstruct a radiation source image. With most position sensing techniques, the position information of a single interaction inside the detectors can be precisely obtained. Each interaction position of multi-scattering inside scintillators, however, can not be individually measured and only the average of the scattering positions can be obtained, which causes the uncertainty in the measured interaction position. In this paper, the position uncertainties due to the multi-scattering were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation model was a 50 by 50 by 5 mm $LaCl_3$(Ce) scintillator(pixel size is 2 by 2 by 5mm) which was utilized for the dual collimation camera. The dual collimation camera uses the information from both photoelectric effect and Compton scattering, and therefore, position uncertainties for both partial and full energy deposition of radiation interactions are calculated. In the case of partial energy deposition(PED), the standard deviations of positions are less than $1{\sim}2mm$, which means the uncertainty caused by multi-scattering is not significant. Because the effect of the multi-scattering with PED is insignificant, the multi-scattering has little effect on the performance of Compton imaging of dual collimation camera. In the case of full energy deposition(FED), however, the standard deviation of the positions is about twice that of the pixel size of the 1stdetector, except for 122keV incident radiations. Therefore, the standard deviations caused by multi-scatterings should be considered in the design of the coded mask of the dual collimation camera to avoid artifact on the reconstructed image. The position uncertainties of the FEDs are much larger than those of the PEDs for all radiation energies and the ratio of PEDs to FEDs increases when the incident radiation energy increases. The position uncertainties of both PEDs and FEDs are dependent on the incident radiation energy.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2001

Synchrotron radiation (SR) has several advantages over convetional x-rays, including its phase, collimation, and high flux. A synchrotron radiation beamline 5C1 at Pohang Light Source (PLS) was recently built for imaging applications. We have shown that a SR imaging system is useful in imaging microscopic structures. SR with broad-band energy spectrum were adjusted to an object by Si wafers and their energy were approximately ranging from 6 keV to 30 keV. SR were passed through an object and finally transformed into visible lights by CdWO$_4$ scintillator screen. The visible lights which were reflected at an angle of 90 degrees by gold plated mirror were detected by a CCD camera and the image data were acquired using image acquisition system. A high-resolution phantom, capacitor, adult tooth, child tooth, cancerous breast tissue, and mouse lumbar vertebra were imaged with SR imaging system. The Objects were rotated within the field of view of the CCD detector, and their projection image data were obtained at 250 steps over 180 degrees rotation. Image reconstructions were carried out in a PC by using IDLTM(Research systems, Inc., US) program. The spatial resolution of the images acquired by the SR imaging system was measured with a high-resolution chart manufactured for several micrometer resolution. The specimens were also imaged with conventional x-ray radiography system to compare the image quality of radiography obtained with the SR imaging system. The results showed more structural details and high contrast images with SR imaging system than conventional x-ray radiography system. The SR imaging system may have a potential for imaging in biological researches, material applications, and clinical radiography.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.327-328
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• 2012

의료분야의 진단 방사선 장비는 초기의 필름방식 및 카세트에서 진보되어 현재는 디지털방식의 DR (Digital Radiography)이 널리 사용되며 이에 관한 연구개발이 활발히 진행 되고 있다. DR은 일반적으로 직접방식과 간접방식으로 나눌 수 있다. 직접방식의 원리는 X선을 흡수하면 전기적 신호를 발생 시키는 광도전체(Photoconductor)를 사용하여 광도전체 양단 전극에 전압을 인가하여 전기장을 유도한 가운데, X선을 조사하면 광도전체 내부에서 전자-전공쌍(Electron-hole pair)이 생성된다. 이것은 양단에 유도된 전기장의 영향으로 전자는 +극으로, 전공은 -극으로 이동하여 아래에 위치한 하부기판을 통하여 이미지로 변조된다. 간접방식은 X선을 흡수하면 가시광선으로 전환하는 형광체(Scintillator)를 사용하여 조사된 X선을 형광체에서 가시광선으로 전환하고, 이를 Photodiode와 같은 광변환소자로 전기적 신호로 변환하여 방사선을 검출하는 방식을 말한다. 본 연구에서는 직접방식에서 이용되는 광도전체 중 흡수효율이 높고 Mobility가 뛰어난 CdTe를 선정하여 PVD (Physical vapor deposition)방식으로 300 m의 두께를 목표로 하여 증착을 진행하였다. Chamber의 진공도가 $2.5{\times}10^{-2}$ Torr로 도달 시점부터, Substrate와 Boat에 열을 가하였다. Substrate온도는 $350^{\circ}C$, Boat온도는 $300^{\circ}C$도로 설정하여 11시간 동안 진행하였다. Substrate온도는 $303^{\circ}C$, Boat온도는 $297^{\circ}C$도부터 증착이 시작되어 선형적인 증가세 추이를 나타내어 Substrate 및 Boat온도가 설정 값에 도달 하였을 때, $25{\sim}34.4{\AA}/s$ 증착율을 나타내었다. 하부전극의 물질에 따른 CdTe증착 효율성 평가를 진행한 후, 그에 따른 전기적 특성을 알아보았다. 하부전극의 물질로는 ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), Parylene이 코팅 된 ITO, Au, Ag를 사용하였다. 하부전극의 물질 상단에 Thermal Evaporation System을 사용하여 CdTe를 증착한 후, Cdte 상단에 Au를 증착 시켜 민감도(Sensitivity)와 암전류(Dark current)를 측정하였다. 증착 결과 ITO와 Ag상단에 증착시킨 CdTe박막은 박리가 되었고, Au와 Parylene이 코팅 된 ITO에는 CdTe박막이 안정적이게 형성이 되었다. 이 두 샘플에 대하여 동일한 조건으로 민감도와 암전류를 측정 시, Parylene이 코팅된 ITO를 하부전극으로 사용한 CdTe박막은 0.1021 pA/$cm^2$의 암전류와 1.027 pC/$cm^2$의 민감도를 나타낸 반면, Au를 하부전극으로 사용한 CdTe박막은 0.0381 pA/$cm^2$의 암전류와 1.214 pC/$cm^2$의 민감도를 나타내어 Parylene이 코팅된 ITO보다 우수한 전기적 특성을 나타내었다. 따라서 Au는 CdTe박막 증착 시, 하부전극 기판으로서 뛰어난 특성을 나타내는 것을 알 수 있었다.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.261-273
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• 2010

For the use of Indirect-conversion CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) detectors for digital x-ray radiography and their better designs, we have theoretically evaluated the spatial-frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency (DQE) using the cascaded linear-systems transfer theory. In order to validate the developed model, the DQE was experimentally determined by the measured modulation-transfer function (MTF) and noise-power spectrum, and the estimated incident x-ray fluence under the mammography beam quality of W/Al. From the comparison between the theoretical and experimental DQEs, the overall tendencies were well agreed. Based on the developed model, we have investigated the DQEs values with respect to various design parameters of the CMOS x-ray detector such as phosphor quantum efficiency, Swank noise, photodiode quantum efficiency and the MTF of various scintillator screens. This theoretical approach is very useful tool for the understanding of the developed imaging systems as well as helpful for the better design or optimization for new development.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.162-168
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• 2012

In proton therapy, in vivo dose verification is one of the most important parts to fully utilize characteristics of proton dose distribution concentrating high dose with steep gradient and guarantee the patient safety. Currently, in order to image the proton dose distribution, a prompt gamma distribution detection system, which consists of an array of multiple CsI(Tl) scintillation detectors in the vertical direction, a collimator, and a multi-channel DAQ system is under development. In the present study, the optimal design of prompt gamma distribution detection system was studied by Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNPX code. For effective measurement of high-energy prompt gammas with enough imaging resolution, the dimensions of the CsI(Tl) scintillator was determined to be $6{\times}6{\times}50mm^3$. In order to maximize the detection efficiency for prompt gammas while minimizing the contribution of background gammas generated by neutron captures, the hole size and the length of the collimator were optimized as $6{\times}6mm^2$ and 150 mm, respectively. Finally, the performance of the detection system optimized in the present study was predicted by Monte Carlo simulations for a 150 MeV proton beam. Our result shows that the detection system in the optimal dimensions can effectively measure the 2D prompt gamma distribution and determine the beam range within 1 mm errors for 150 MeV proton beam.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.329-335
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• 2010

Digital imaging detectors can use a variety of detection materials to convert X-ray radiation either to light or directly to electron charge. Many detectors such as amorphous silicon flat panels, CCDs, and CMOS photodiode arrays incorporate a scintillator screen to convert x-ray to light. The digital radiography systems based on semiconductor detectors, commonly referred to as flat panel detectors, are gaining popularity in the clinical & hospital. The X-ray detectors are described between a-Silicon based indirect type and a-Selenium based direct type. The DRS of detectors is used to convert the x-ray to electron hole pairs. Image processing is described by specific image features: Latitude compression, Contrast enhancement, Edge enhancement, Look up table, Noise suppression. The image features are tuned independently. The final enhancement result is a combination of all image features. The parameters are altered by using specific image features in the different several hospitals. The image in a radiological report consists of two image evaluation processes: Clinical image parameters and MTF is a descriptor of the spatial resolution of a digital imaging system. We used the edge test phantom and exposure procedure described in the IEC 61267 to obtain an edge spread function from which the MTF is calculated. We can compare image in the processing parameters to change between original and processed image data. The angle of the edge with respect to the axes of detector was varied in order to determine the MTF as a function of direction. Each MTF is integrated within the spatial resolution interval of 1.35-11.70 cycles/mm at the 50% MTF point. Each image enhancement parameters consists of edge, frequency, contrast, LUT, noise, sensitometry curve, threshold level, windows. The digital device is also shown to have good uniformity of MTF and image parameters across its modality. The measurements reported here represent a comprehensive evaluation of digital radiography system designed for use in the DRS. The results indicate that the parameter enables very good image quality in the digital radiography. Of course, the quality of image from a parameter is determined by other digital devices in addition to the proper clinical image.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2012

Several neutron measuring devices were tested under the neutron fields characterized with two distinct kinds of thermal and fast neutron spectrum. These neutron fields were constructed by the mixing of both thermal neutron fields and fast neutron fields. The thermal neutron field was constructed using by a graphite pile with eight AmBe neutron sources. The fast neutron field of 14 MeV was made by a DT neutron generator. In order to change the fraction of fast neutron fluence rate in each neutron fields, a neutron generator was placed in the thermal neutron field at 50 cm and 150 cm from the reference position. The polyethylene neutron collimator was used to make moderated 14 MeV neutron field. These neutron spectra were measured by using a Bonner sphere system with an LiI scintillator, and dosimetric quantities delivered to neutron surveymeters were determined from these measurement results.