A quantitative investigation of additive noise reduction for active matrix flat-panel imagers using compensation lines

A quantitative investigation of a technique for reducing correlated noise in indirect detection active matrix flat-panel imagers has been reported. Correlated noise in such systems arises from the coupling of electronic noise, originating from fluctuations in external sources such as power supplies and ambient electromagnetic sources, to the imaging array via its address lines. The noise reduction technique involves the use of signals from columns of compensation line pixels located in relatively close proximity to the columns of normal imaging pixels on the array. Compensation line pixels are designed to be as sensitive to externally-coupled noise as columns of normal imaging pixels but are insensitive to incident radiation. For each imaging pixel, correlated noise is removed by subtracting from the imaging pixel signal a signal derived from compensation line pixels located on the same row. The effectiveness of various implementations of this correction has been examined through measurements of signal and noise from individual pixels as well as of noise power spectra. These measurements were performed both in the absence of radiation as well as with x rays. The effectiveness of the correction was also demonstrated qualitatively by means of an image of a hand phantom. It was found that the use of a single compensation line dramatically reduces external noise through removal of the correlated noise component. While this form of the correction increases non-radiation-related uncorrelated noise, the effect can be largely reduced through the introduction of multiple compensation lines. Finally, a position-dependent correction based on compensation lines on both sides of the array was found to be effective when the magnitude of the correlated noise varied linearly across the array. (C) 2000 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.