A Monte Carlo assessment of the spectral performance of four types of photon counting detectors

Abstract: In previous publications, we have presented an alternative approach to determine essential detector properties like the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) based on a Monte Carlo model of the detection process. If a Monte Carlo model for the detector response to photons impinging at various locations of a pixel is available, the full statistics of the detector can be derived in a straightforward manner. The purpose of this paper is to describe the method in detail and to apply it to four types of realistic detectors: direct converting detectors using CdTe and silicon, a CdTe photon counter with additional coincidence counters and an optical counting system using LaBr3 as scintillator.