Serial line multiplexing method based on bipolar pulse for PET

Although the individual channel readout method can improve the performance of PET detectors with pixelated photo-sensors, such as silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), this method leads to a significant increase in the number of readout channels. In this study, we proposed a novel multiplexing method that could effectively reduce the number of readout channels to reduce system complexity and development cost. The proposed multiplexing circuit was designed to generate bipolar pulses with different zero-crossing points by adjusting the time constant of the high-pass filter connected to each channel of a pixelated photo-sensor. The channel position of the detected gamma-ray was identified by estimating the width between the rising edge and the zero-crossing point of the bipolar pulse. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed multiplexing circuit, four detector blocks, each consisting of a 4 × 4 array of 3 mm × 3 mm × 20 mm LYSO and a 4 × 4 SiPM array, were constructed. The average energy resolution was 13.2 ± 1.1% for all 64 crystal pixels and each pixel position was accurately identified. A coincidence timing resolution was 580 ± 12 ps. The experimental results indicated that the novel multiplexing method proposed in this study is able to effectively reduce the number of readout channels while maintaining accurate position identification with good energy and timing performance. In addition, it could be useful for the development of PET systems consisting of a large number of pixelated detectors.