SBIR Phase I: Micromachined Scintillating Pixel X-Ray Imaging Plate

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的重点是使用放射性核素、放射性示踪剂或x射线束对生物标本进行石油x射线和粒子成像。成像探测器要求：检测效率接近统一；光子计数;高空间分辨率，可媲美胶片；由于对散射的x射线或粒子不敏感而提高对比度；光强响应；动态范围大；低噪声;利用x射线能量进行差分衰减成像。我们建议用一种新型的“高空间精度成像闪烁体像素板”来解决这些问题，该发光体像素板是通过在硅中进行高纵横比孔（长度/直径）的微加工而成的。硅孔将通过形成包层膜形成介质波导（光纤），例如通过氧化壁形成SiO2。这些孔将用标准的和新型的闪烁材料填充，包括纳米晶体光刻技术的指数匹配胶体分散体，孔直径为1 um-1 mm，板厚度约为1 mm。该闪烁体阵列与包括CCD图像增强器和薄膜在内的光学像元探测器的精度和空间分辨率相匹配。该计划可能会导致新的大面积，高精度x射线成像仪，使替代胶片或增强胶片在医疗和牙科x射线。它还可能导致超低成本的超高精度光纤板，紧凑的全孔径光学和x射线准直器。

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project focuses oil x-ray and particle imaging of biological specimens using radionuclides, radiotracers or x-ray beams. An imaging detector requires: detection efficiency close to unity; photon counting; high spatial resolution, comparable to film; improved contrast due to insensitivity to scattered x-rays or particles; liticar intensity response; large dynamic range; low noise; and differential attenuation imaging using x-ray energies. We propose to address these issues with a novel form of' high spatial precision imaging scintillator pixel plate, fabricated by micromachining of very high aspect ratio holes (length/diameter) in silicon. The Si holes will be formed into dielectric waveguides (optical fibers) by forming a cladding film, for example by oxidizing the walls to form SiO2. The holes will be filled with standard and novel scintillation materials, including index-matched collodal dispersions of nanocrystalline photolithographic techniques, with holes from 1 um-1 mm in diamiter, and plate thickness up to about 1 mm. The scintillator array is well-matched to the precision and spatial resolution of optical pixel detectors including CCD image intensifiers and film. This program may led to novel large area, high precision x-ray imagers, enabling replacement of film or enhancing film in medical and dental x-rays. It may also lead to ultra-high precision fiber-optic plates at low cost, and compact full aperture optical and x-ray collimators.