Radiation detectors

1. Ion chamber
2. Geiger Muller counter (GM).
3. Scintillation counter (PMT).
 An ion chamber
• is a general class of detector that makes use of the electron–ion pairs
generated by the passage of radiation through a gas to produce an
electrical signal.
• It consists basically of two charged plates maintained at different
potentials by a voltage supply .
• The plates attract electrons or ions, depending on plate polarity, and
cause a current pulse i that is proportional to the number of electron–
ion pairs produced and to the particle energy if the particle comes to
rest in the chamber.
• When an ion chamber
is used in this way,
both to detect
the presence of
an energetic charged
particle and to measure
its energy, it is called
a proportional counter.
 Geiger Muller counter (GM)
• The Geiger counter is an instrument used for measuring
ionizing radiation used widely in such applications as
radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental
physics and the nuclear industry.
• It detects ionizing radiation such as alpha particles, beta
particles and gamma rays using the ionization effect
produced in a Geiger–Müller tube; which gives its name to
the instrument.
• In wide and prominent use as a hand-held radiation survey
instrument, it is perhaps one of the world's best-known
radiation detection instruments.
Basic components of GM tube.
• A Geiger counter consists of a Geiger-Müller tube, the sensing
element which detects the radiation, and the processing
electronics, which displays the result.
• The Geiger-Müller tube is filled with an inert gas such as
helium, neon, or argon at low pressure, to which a high
voltage typically 400-600 V is applied.
Principle of operation
1. When a single gamma or beta ray entering the tube, a small
amount of ionization is produced.
2. The center electrode which is at high positive potential
attracts the electrons and gives them energy to produce
further ionization until the whole volume contains ion pairs.
3. The electrons are rapidly collected.
4. The voltage on the center electrode drops and the slow
positive ions go to
the outer wall.
5. After 400µsec
(Dead time) the tube is
ready to repeat the
Process.
 Disadvantages of GM counter
1. It can not differentiate between the types of
ionizing radiation.
2. It can not differentiate between large and
small amounts of ionization which means that
it can not measure radiation energy.
3. It is inefficient for detecting gamma rays.
4. It can not detect any ionization events in the
dead time which means that it is inefficient in
detecting high radiation rates (the number of
counts will be lower about 104 to 105).
 Scintillation detectors
In
Nuclear Medicine imaging devices
Gamma Camera
• Is a device used to image gamma radiation
radioisotopes this technique is called also
scintillation camera.
• Gamma camera is used to view and analyze
images of the human body or the distribution
of the medically ingested, injected or inhaled
radionuclides.
Gamma Camera
Gamma Camera Components
1-Collimators
• The collimator provides an interface between
the patient and the scintillation crystal by
allowing only those photons traveling in an
appropriate direction.
 Collimators
• Types of collimators

A) By the accepted energy.

B) By the geometric shape.

C) By the resolution.
 Collimators
• By the accepted energy

Low Energy High Energy

Collimator Collimator

Medium Energy
Collimator
 Collimators
• By the geometric shape.

Parallel-Hole Diverging
collimator

Pin-Hole Converging collimator

Collimator
 Collimators

Pin-Hole (more resolution &

Parallel-Hole
magnification) hip,thyroid

Converging ‫لتكبير الصورة وتحديد أفضل لألعضاء‬ Diverging ‫للتصغير في حالة المريض البدين‬
 Detector Scintillation Crystal
• The chosen material for the crystal is Na-I (Tl),
40-50 cmdiameter.

• The Na-I (Tl) crystal is stationary.

• The crystal transform the gamma-ray photon

------> Light photon
• Any damage to the crystal results in an
inoperable scintillation camera and requires
costly replacement of the crystal.
 Photomultiplier tube

Dynode
Connected to Photomultiplier tube
Photocathode High positive volt
 Photomultiplier tube
• The Photocathode transform the light
photon --- electron.

• The PMT multiplies the electron to be a

significant detected signal.
 Other circuits
• 1)Pre-Amplefier

• 2) Amplifier
 Advantages of Gamma
Camera
• The imaging time is only 1-2min.

• It can distinguish 2 sources about 5mm

apart.