Simulation Study of Partially Laser-Processed LYSO:Ce with Single-Side Readout

Laser Induced Optical Barriers (LIOB) can be used to locally engineer the refractive index of a scintillator crystal, leading to the incorporation of so-called optical barriers. Given that the optical barriers may be placed in virtually any pattern inside the scintillator, light transport simulations are important tools for pattern optimization for a given end-application. In this work we simulate the light spread in a 20 mm thick LYSO:Ce detector with optical barriers in a pixel-like pattern half way through its thickness, read out by a photodetector array on one side. We compare the detector performance in terms of DOI and transversal resolution, depending on which side of the detector is chosen for light extraction. Our results show that reading the detector from the laser-processed side yields higher DOI resolution, at the expense of XY resolution, compared to the opposite configuration.