November 5, 2008
WESTFORD, MA (November 5, 2008) – Vertilon Corporation (http://www.vertilon.com) announced today
that it has launched the SIB2316 sensor interface board for the SensL SPMArray 16 element silicon
photomultiplier (SiPM) array. The first of its kind product supports up to two SPMArrays and provides the
necessary interface and signal processing circuitry to capture high speed pulsed optical events such as
those found in PET, SPECT, and radiation detection applications. Designed in cooperation with SensL
(http://www.sensl.com), the SIB2316 seamlessly integrates the SPMArrays to a 32 channel data
acquisition system like Vertilon’s PhotoniQ IQSP480 or IQSP580 giving the user a complete, off-the-shelf
solution for acquisition of multichannel particle data. Because the product is purposely built for PET and
similar particle detection applications, the SIB2316 allows the user to easily setup the system to collect
data with virtually no additional electronics or software. The unit is 100% compatible with the SensL
SPMArray and readily configurable through the PhotoniQ’s graphical user interface.
In a typical PET imaging application using SiPM detector arrays, two small FPC cables connect the
SPMArrays to the SIB2316 which in turn is connected to a Vertilon PhotoniQ IQSP580. The 16 separate
charge signals from each detector array are integrated, digitized, and collected by the PhotoniQ and then
transferred to a PC over a USB connection for display, storage, or further processing. Bias for the silicon
photomultiplier detectors is generated on the SIB2316 but adjusted through the PhotoniQ’s GUI. Data is
collected on an event by event basis with the SIB2316 supplying the trigger signal to the data acquisition
unit. Although triggering can be accomplished in any number of ways, event coincidence triggering is
widely used in PET scanners. The product’s dual coincidence detector monitors the charge output from
each device. A high speed, programmable-threshold pulse discriminator generates a timing signal that is
precisely aligned with the charge pulse peak from its respective detector array. The SIB2316’s
coincidence detection logic generates a trigger output signal if the events from each array are found to
occur within a user-specified time window. With full control over the pulse energy threshold and
coincidence time window, the user can effortlessly fine tune his system to greatly reduce the number of
false event triggers. For PET scanners requiring more than two detector arrays, the SIB2316 is
expandable to accommodate up to six additional SPMArrays for a total of eight coincidence detectors and
128 signal channels.
The SIB2316 is the first product from Vertilon Corporation (http://www.vertilon.com) for silicon
photomultiplier arrays. Recent industry trends indicate a significantly growing demand for devices of this
type especially in PET scanners and radiation detection systems. The solid state nature of silicon
photomultipliers offers robustness unmatched by conventional photomultiplier tubes. Their relative
insensitivity to magnetic fields makes them extremely suitable for combination PET / MRI scanners.
Furthermore, the small size and low bias voltage requirements make these devices ideal for applications
requiring numerous detector channels. “We believe we have recognized a significant market opportunity
for silicon photomultiplier devices — particularly the SPMArray from SensL” said Vincent Palermo, President and Founder of Vertilon. “These unique devices are very well positioned to replace
photomultiplier tubes in the next generation of PET scanners.” He added “the performance and size of the
SensL SPMArray made it the only logical choice for Vertilon’s first silicon photomultiplier product.” Carl
Jackson, founder and CTO of SensL commented “SensL is dedicated to providing low light sensing
solutions to the marketplace and we are pleased with the Vertilon SIB2316 release which greatly
simplifies the readout of our multichannel SPMArray products”. Carl added “Vertilon has done a great job
of providing a plug and play readout system for SensL SPMArrays. Customers simply plug the SensL and
Vertilon products together and add light, the system is that simple to operate.” Vertilon says the SIB2316
is in production and available today.