Waveform-Sampling Electronics for a Whole-Body Time-of-Flight PET Scanner

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 1174 - 1181
• Main Authors: Ashmanskas, W. J., LeGeyt, B. C., Newcomer, F. M., Panetta, J. V., Ryan, W. A., Van Berg, R., Wiener, R. I., Karp, J. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.06.2014; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Arrays; Crystals; Detectors; Energy resolution; Fast timing; Field programmable gate arrays; field-programmable gate array (FPGA); front-end electronics; PET instrumentation; Positron emission tomography; time-of-flight PET; Timing; trigger systems; waveform sampling
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2014.2303119

Waveform sampling is an appealing technique for instruments requiring precision time and pulse-height measurements. Sampling each photomultiplier tube (PMT) waveform at oscilloscope-like rates of several gigasamples per second enables one to process PMT signals digitally, which in turn makes it straightforward to optimize timing resolution and amplitude (energy and position) resolution in response to calibration effects, pile-up effects, and other systematic sources of waveform variation. We describe a system design and preliminary implementation that neatly maps waveform-sampling technology onto the LaPET prototype whole-body time-of-flight PET scanner that serves as the platform for testing this new technology.