SYRMEP: an innovative detection system for soft X-rays

In the field of digital mammography, the SYRMEP (SYnchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics) collaboration intends to use as a source the 10-35 keV photons from a monochromatic beam at the synchrotron ELETTRA in Trieste, and as a detector a brick of silicon microstrip detectors with the beam impinging along the strip direction. In this way, the absorption efficiency is maximized and a pixel-like matrix is obtained with pixel dimensions given by the detector thickness and the strip pitch. The digital images are obtained using a photon counting technique. We present here the results obtained with an AC-coupled FOXFET detector with 200 x 300 mu m(2) pixels and a hybrid electronics, both with a standard X-ray tube and the monochromatic beam.