AbstractsEngineering

Digital breast tomosynthesis is a three-dimensional mammography technique where scans are acquired at a limited angle and the projections are reconstructed. It overcomes the main limitation of mammography, which is tissue overlap, by providing improved depth resolution. The emerging technology still uses a conventional x-ray source based on thermionic emission that requires rotation of the source to cover the angular range. This thesis presents the design and characterization of a next generation stationary digital breast tomosynthesis system that uses a carbon nanotube-based (CNT-based) multi-pixel x-ray source. The CNT-based x-ray source eliminates the need for rotation of the x-ray tube and allows for higher temporal resolution because the pixels can be switched on instantaneously. The system will be able to operate at 30-60 kV and can be used for quasi-monochromatic imaging at a reasonable scan time in order to increase contrast between tissues of similar attenuation.