Open AccessRecent developments in X‐ray imaging with micrometer spatial resolution
Author(s) -
Martin Thierry,
Koch Andreas
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s0909049506000550
Subject(s) - scintillator , optics , materials science , micrometer , detector , absorption (acoustics) , image resolution , synchrotron radiation , full width at half maximum , optoelectronics , resolution (logic) , synchrotron , physics , artificial intelligence , computer science
X‐ray detectors for imaging with a spatial resolution in the micrometer and submicrometer range have been developed at synchrotron radiation sources since 1996. The detectors consist of a scintillator, a light microscopy optic and a charge‐coupled device (CCD). The scintillator converts part of the X‐ray stopped by a material into a visible‐light image which is projected onto the CCD by the light optics. A resolution of 0.5 µm FWHM has been achieved using a 1 µm‐thick europium‐doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 film. The detective quantum efficiency of the detector is mainly limited by the low absorption of X‐rays in the thin layer of the scintillator. To increase the absorption, and therefore reduce the exposure time, new scintillators (Lu 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ , Gd 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ , Lu 2 SiO 5 :Ce, Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 :Eu 3+ , CdWO 4 ) have been investigated. These were fabricated using sol–gel and liquid‐phase epitaxy processes. Finally, the first fast microtomography experiment including radiation hardness of the optic is shown. This detector uses a high‐intensity white beam with 60 keV effective energy and a fast CCD camera at up to 60 frames s −1 .