AMS introduces a new readout IC for digital X-ray flat panel detectors

ams introduces a new readout integrated circuit (IC) for digital X-ray flat panel detectors (FPD) to provide clinicians with clearer images while reducing patient exposure to radiation. The new AS5850A digital readout IC is a 16-bit, 256-channel charge-to-digital converter that can be used in static and dynamic digital X-ray scanners, digital radiography, mammography, fluorescence and interventional imaging.

Michael Leitner, general manager of ams Medical Imaging Systems Business Unit, said: "ams has a reputation among medical device manufacturers for providing signal chain solutions that deliver world-class performance and quality. ams Medical imaging solutions are included in many imaging devices used by leading hospitals and practitioners worldwide. By introducing standard products for medical imaging devices, ams is now serving a broader customer base with a view to providing world-class X-ray diagnostics to patients around the world."

Superior performance for safer, clearer images

The circuit design and CMOS process innovations employed by ams at its fab in Graz, Austria, set the stage for the AS5850A's best-in-class performance in terms of noise, power consumption and speed. In the medical imaging market, manufacturers are constantly competing to develop devices that provide sharper, sharper images. Medical practitioners rely on high-quality images to guide interventions, or on mammography to diagnose diseases such as breast cancer earlier and more accurately. At the same time, technological advances are helping to reduce patient exposure to radiation doses inherent in the operation of radiography and fluoroscopy equipment.

Now, the AS5850A offers manufacturers a new way to improve the performance of medical imaging devices while making them safer for patients to use. Low noise as low as 500 electrons at 2pC and 30pF enables FPD to recover sharper image output from lower radiation inputs.

The performance of the AS5850A is optimized for dynamic radiography applications to achieve a line time of 20µs, which can be as low as 10µs in merge mode by combining inputs from adjacent channels. The device has a special mode suitable for fluorescence inspection applications with relaxed noise requirements, allowing line times up to 15µs. By supporting the development of medical devices that are safer and improve patient outcomes, the AS5850A contributes to ams' strategic mission to develop "technologies that improve lifestyles."

Configuration options can be optimized for different applications

The architecture on which the AS5850A is based is highly programmable, meaning that medical imaging device manufacturers can build multiple end-product designs on this single device, reducing development and production costs to meet the needs of different applications. The AS5850A is also compatible with many FPD sizes.

Various configuration options include speed and power Settings. The optional line time options are 20µs, 28.5µs, 40µs, and 80µs without the need for classification. At 80µs, the power consumption per channel is only 1.1mW. The AS5850A is available as standard in a convenient flexible chip package to minimize sidewall distance and allow assembly directly on the X-ray plate. Flexible circuit designs can be customized to meet specific customer requirements.

A series of AS585x devices are also planned to expand the package and performance options available to FPD manufacturers. In the coming months, several devices with different performance in terms of speed and power consumption will be released. In addition, different flexible designs will be available, including the option to add enhancements to be compatible with standard connectors. By offering AS585x readout ics in a variety of standard package formats, ams will enable manufacturers to take advantage of the IC's superior performance characteristics while maintaining their preferred mechanical and design specifications.