Patent ID: 7709805
Filing Date: 2010-05-04
Classification: G01T,H01J

Abstract:
1. An anisotropic scintillator for use in an imaging system comprising: a scintillator element comprised of an isotropic scintillator material having a first optical property; a three-dimensional pattern formed in said scintillator element utilizing a pulse laser, said pulse laser altering said first optical property at a plurality of discrete locations in said scintillator element such that said three-dimensional pattern is comprised of anisotropic portions and such that said anisotropic portions form localized channel regions in said scintillator element; wherein said three-dimensional pattern is configured to control the spread of photons to achieve desired signal sharing among the plurality of regions having borders defined by the plurality of discrete locations; and further wherein said anisotropic portions are comprised of at least one optical property selected from a plurality of optical properties to preserve spatial information allowing reliable centroid determination within the anisotropic scintillator.