Patent ID: 9746565
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: G01T

Claim:
1. A method comprising: acquiring detection events from at least one of X-ray or nuclear medicine (NM) emitted radiation with a radiation detector comprising a semiconductor plate, wherein the detector is configured to produce electrical signals in response to absorption of the at least one of X-ray or nuclear medicine (NM) emitted radiation in the semiconductor plate, wherein electrons and holes are generated responsive to the at least one of X-ray or NM emitted radiation, the holes including groups of holes having different effective masses for corresponding different valence energy bands; and optically coupling infrared (IR) radiation into the semiconductor plate of the radiation detector during the acquiring of the detection events from the at least one of X-ray or NM emitted radiation, the IR radiation having at least one wavelength selected from a spectral range including wavelengths to which the semiconductor plate is partially transparent and which are configured to excite at least some of the holes from a first group at a first valence energy band to a second group at a second valence energy band, wherein the holes of the second group have lower effective masses than corresponding holes of the first group.