Zecotek's solid-state photo detectors approved for PET trials
The Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland has successfully tested Zecotek's proprietary micro-pixel avalanche photo diodes (MAPD) in trials for its next-generation PET medical imaging program.

Results of MAPD tests were reported at the 5th International Conference on New Developments in Photodetection, Palais des Congres in Aix-les-Bains, France, June 15-20.

According to Dieter Renker, MD, senior researcher, particles and material, the preliminary test results of the Zecotek MAPDs, both alone and in conjunction with fast scintillation material, demonstrated the exceptional performance and stability characteristics of the new MAPD photo-detectors, which support their potential to deliver improvements in sensitivity, spatial resolution and image quality application in high-performance PET devices.

The Paul Scherrer Institute PET program is focused on advancing improvements in sensitivity, spatial resolution and image quality in PET scanners, based on the understanding that advances in PET are driven largely by progress in instrumentation, in particular the performance of scintillation materials, photo-detectors and read-out electronics, according to Zecotek.

The company said its MAPD solid-state photo detectors have been designed in several configurations to offer significant performance and cost advantages over the current photo-multiplier vacuum tubes and other existing solid state photo-detectors. The MAPD-1 is designed to replace APDs in great many applications and the MAPD-2 addresses specific, high demand requirements in high-energy physics such as particle accelerators where PMTs are vulnerable to the magnetic environment created by the superconducting magnets used in the collimation of particle tracks.

The MAPD-3 meets required specifications for advanced, high resolution PET scanners and gamma camera applications, particularly when matched with Zecotek's patented LFS scintillation materials, Zecotek said.
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