Characterization of a DOI-corrected Compton camera system based on LYSO scintillators

Abstract The Compton camera reconstructs gamma-ray sources by measuring the energy and interaction positions of scattered photons in the scatterer and absorber layers, based on the Compton scattering formula. In recent years, this technique has attracted attention in medical imaging and nuclear security. A Compton camera has been developed using LYSO scintillators with integrated depth-of-interaction (DOI) correction. LYSO crystals offer high light output, and SiPM readouts enable precise DOI localization. The system comprises scatterer and absorber layers made of LYSO arrays, with SiPMs decoding both interaction positions and energies. Tests using gamma-ray sources demonstrated an energy resolution of around 14%@511 keV and good timing performance. Results show that DOI correction significantly improves spatial resolution and image quality, reducing the full width at half maximum (FWHM) by 5–10 mm and indicating strong potential for applications in medical imaging and nuclear security.