Open AccessA Transparent Nano-Polycrystalline ZnWO4 Thin-Film Scintillator for High-Resolution X-ray Imaging
Author(s) -
Heon Yong Jeong,
Ju Hyuk Lee,
Sang Yoon Lee,
Jae Woo Lee,
Sung Oh Cho
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acs omega
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 40
ISSN - 2470-1343
DOI - 10.1021/acsomega.1c05962
Subject(s) - scintillator , materials science , optics , crystallite , thin film , image resolution , evaporation , optoelectronics , nano , transmittance , nanotechnology , detector , physics , composite material , metallurgy , thermodynamics
Facile approaches for creating thin-film scintillators with high spatial resolutions and variable shapes are required to broaden the applicability of high-resolution X-ray imaging. In this study, a transparent nano-polycrystalline ZnWO 4 thin-film scintillator was fabricated by thermal evaporation for high-resolution X-ray imaging. The scintillator is composed of nano-sized grains smaller than the optical wavelength range to minimize optical scattering. The high transparency of the scintillators affords a sufficiently high spatial resolution to resolve the 2 μm line and space patterns when used in a high-resolution X-ray imaging system with an effective pixel size of 650 nm. The thermal evaporation method is a convenient approach for depositing thin and uniform films on complex substrates. ZnWO 4 thin-film scintillators with various shapes, such as pixelated and curved, were fabricated via thermal evaporation. The results show that the transparent nano-polycrystalline ZnWO 4 thin-film scintillator deposited through thermal evaporation has a potential for use in various high-resolution X-ray imaging applications.