Parallel Chains basedRead-out System foraComptonEnhanced 3DPETScanner

Thedesign ofadataacquisition system(DAQ)for a novelPositron Emission Tomographyscanner isreported. ThePET system, basedonlongaxially oriented scintillation crystals, readoutbyHybridPhotonDetectors (HPD), allows 3D parallax-error freeCompton enhancedgamma reconstruction. TheDAQ systemiscomposedofseveral read- outcards, eachoneassociated witha moduleofthePET scanner, andofa maincardthatcontrols thewholesystem. Usingfasttriggering signals fromthesilicon sensorback- planes, themaincardperforms thecoincidence analysis and,in caseofcoincidence, itenables theread-out ofthetwomodules involved. Theothermodulesareleftfreetoperformnew acquisitions. Thisconcept basedonseveral independent, event drivenandparallel read-out chains, drastically reduces the acquisition deadtime.The DAQ systemherereported, designed foratwomoduledemonstrator set-up, wasdeveloped tostudy andoptimize theessential design parameters.