GAGG(Ce) Scintillation Arrays

GAGG(Ce) - Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (Gd₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂) doped with Ce is a newly developed scintillator material. GAGG(Ce) is one of the brightest scintillators with an emission peak at 540nm, which matches great with Photodiodes (PD) and Silicon Photon Multiplier (SiPM). GAGG(Ce) features excellent stabilities under exposure to radiation, a high ruggedness, and is well fit for a broad range of applications. Furthermore, GAGG(Ce) scintillation crystals have good energy resolution and high density; it is non-self-radiant and non-deliquescent.

Hangzhou Shalom EO offers a series of GAGG(Ce) Scintillation Arrays with custom dimensions and pixel sizes. Our GAGG series scintillator products have been widely applied in Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography (TOF-PET), Positron Emission Mammography (PEM), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Computerized Tomography (CT), X-radiation and gamma detection applications in nuclear, space, industrial, medical fields. Besides, Bulk GAGG(Ce) Scintillators and GAGG (Ce) Scintillator Screens are also available.

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Emission Spectrum of GAGG(Ce) Scintillators:

How does the GAGG(Ce) pixelated array work in SPCET (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) medical imaging?

Gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet GAGG(Ce) crystal arrays are commonly used in medical radiation imaging, such as SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). By using this product to implement SPECT technology, medical imaging examinations such as myocardial perfusion imaging, bone imaging, and thyroid scans can be performed. The working principle of GADGaG crystal arrays in SPECT medical imaging is as follows:

1. A photon-emitting nuclide is injected into the patient's body. The nuclide directly emits a single gamma photon.

2. Each small crystal in the cerium-doped GAGG(Ce) crystal array is a crystal pixel. When a gamma photon passes through the mechanical collimator of the SPECT detector, it strikes a specific crystal "pixel" in the array. During SPECT, the energy of the gamma photons emitted by the nuclide injected into the patient's body is generally not high, but due to the high density and high blocking ability of the cerium-doped GAGG crystal, the crystal can effectively capture and absorb the energy of the gamma photons, and subsequently emit fluorescence at 520-530 nm.

3. Due to the optical reflective layer surrounding each crystal pixel, the fluorescence emitted by each pixel is confined within its own pixel and guided to the light-emitting surface of the array.

4. Photo diodes are attached to the light-emitting surface of the array during use. These PDs capture the light signal (i.e., the blue fluorescence emitted by the crystal) from each crystal pixel and convert it into an electrical signal. Because the array is pixelated, each pixel is an independent unit, allowing the host computer to immediately determine which specific pixel emitted the fluorescence.

5. Finally, by reading the electrical signal of each pixel, the computer can reconstruct information such as the location, time, and energy of the high-energy particles hitting the array, thereby obtaining a three-dimensional distribution image of the nuclide within the patient's body, forming an image that can be used for medical imaging (such as SPECT).