A Monte Carlo assessment of the spectral performance of four types of photon counting detectors

TL;DR

This paper details a Monte Carlo simulation method to evaluate the spectral performance of four different photon counting detectors, providing a comprehensive way to assess their key imaging properties.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed Monte Carlo approach to determine detector properties like MTF, NPS, and DQE for various photon counting detectors, enhancing evaluation techniques.

Findings

Method successfully characterizes detector performance metrics.

Applied to four realistic detector types with detailed results.

Provides a framework for comparing detector spectral performance.

Abstract

In previous publications, we have presented an alternative approach to determine essential detector properties like the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) based on a Monte Carlo model of the detection process. If a Monte Carlo model for the detector response to photons impinging at various locations of a pixel is available, the full statistics of the detector can be derived in a straightforward manner. The purpose of this paper is to describe the method in detail and to apply it to four types of realistic detectors: direct converting detectors using CdTe and silicon, a CdTe photon counter with additional coincidence counters and an optical counting system using LaBr3 as scintillator.