Royal Brompton Hospital and other facilities advance CZT detector technology applications
Royal Brompton Hospital in London has installed a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) based imaging scanner that reduces certain lung scans from about 45 minutes to 15 minutes. The detector module, supplied by British company Kromek, is one of the few firms capable of manufacturing CZT detectors. This scanner utilizes CZT to detect gamma rays from injected radiopharmaceuticals and can reduce the required radiotracer dose by approximately 30%. CZT, a semiconductor, enables a single conversion step that preserves timing and energy information, allowing the production of colour or spectroscopic images.
Beyond medical imaging, CZT-based detectors are also employed in X-ray telescopes and airport security scanners for explosives detection and checked-baggage screening. The UK's Diamond Light Source upgrade in Oxfordshire, costing about £500 million and expected to complete by 2030, will incorporate CZT-based detectors to handle brighter X-ray beams, aiding improved analysis of materials and impurities. Diamond Light Source is a synchrotron facility aiming to enhance its detector capabilities with this upgrade.
There is significant demand for CZT among researchers. Some require very thin detectors of approximately 0.8 mm thickness, but sourcing these from Kromek presents challenges. For instance, Prof. Krawczynski at Washington University has requested 17 new detectors for research. Additionally, a planned Antarctic mission utilizing CZT detectors was scheduled to fly in December, though dates remain uncertain due to a US government shutdown.
