Reading out from large-scale silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays is a fundamental technical obstacle blocking the application of revolutionary SiPM technologies in nuclear imaging systems. Typically, it requires using dedicated application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that need a long iterative process, special expertise, and tools to develop. The pico-positron emission tomography (Pico-PET) electronics system is an advanced 100-channel readout system based on 1-bit sigma–delta modulation and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). It is compact ( $6\times 6\times0.8$ cm3 in size), consumes little power (less than 3W), and is constructed with off-the-shelf low-cost components. In experimental studies, the Pico-PET system demonstrates excellent and consistent performance. In addition, it has some unique features that are essential for nuclear imaging systems, such as its ability to measure V–I curves, breakdown voltages, and the dark currents of 100 SiPMs accurately, simultaneously, and in real time. The flexibility afforded by FPGAs allows multiple-channel clustering and intelligent triggering for different detector designs. These highly sought-after features are not offered by any other ASICs and electronics systems developed for nuclear imaging. We conclude that the Pico-PET electronics system provides a practical solution to the long-standing bottleneck problem that has limited the development of potentially advanced nuclear imaging technology using SiPMs.

中文翻译：

---

用于核成像的先进 100 通道读出系统

从大规模硅光电倍增管 (SiPM) 阵列中读取数据是阻碍革命性 SiPM 技术在核成像系统中应用的基本技术障碍。通常，它需要使用专用的专用集成电路 (ASIC)，而这需要较长的迭代过程、特殊的专业知识和工具来开发。皮正电子发射断层扫描 (Pico-PET) 电子系统是一种先进的 100 通道读出系统，基于 1 位 Σ-Δ 调制和现场可编程门阵列 (FPGA)。它结构紧凑（尺寸为 $6\times 6\times0.8$ cm3），功耗极低（小于 3W），并采用现成的低成本组件构建。在实验研究中，Pico-PET 系统表现出优异且一致的性能。此外，它还具有一些对于核成像系统至关重要的独特功能，例如能够准确、同时、实时地测量 100 个 SiPM 的 V-I 曲线、击穿电压和暗电流。FPGA 提供的灵活性允许针对不同的探测器设计进行多通道集群和智能触发。这些备受追捧的功能是为核成像开发的任何其他 ASIC 和电子系统所不具备的。我们的结论是，Pico-PET 电子系统为长期存在的瓶颈问题提供了实用的解决方案，该问题限制了使用 SiPM 的潜在先进核成像技术的发展。