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

SBIR 第二阶段：微机械闪烁像素 X 射线成像板

• 批准号: 9901902
• 负责人: Charles Beetz
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: NANOSCIENCES CORP
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-07-15 至 2001-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9901902&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Micromachined; Scintillating

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase II project focuses on x-ray and particle imaging of biological specimens using radionuclides, radiotracers or x-ray beams. An imaging detector requires:unity detection efficiency, photon counting; high spatial resolution film; improved contrast due to insensitivity to scattered x-rays or particles; linear response; dynamic range; low noise; and, differential attenuation imaging using x-ray energies. The research will address these issues with a novel form of high spatial precision imaging scintillator pixel plate, fabricated by micromachining of very high aspect ratio (length/diameter) holes in Si. The microchannels will be formed into dielectric waveguides (optical fibers) by forming a wall cladding film, for example, by oxidizing the walls to form SiO2. Because the Si/SiO2 microchannels can be taken to high temperatures, crystalline scintillators such as BG0, Nal or Csl can be vacuum melted to fill the holes, along with the scintillating glasses, plastic scintillators, and nanocrystalline scintillators. The resulting scintillating pixel plate will have features fully adjustable in size by photolithographic techniques, with holes from one micron to one millimeter in diameter, and, plate thickness up to approximately two millimeters. 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 lead 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.

这个小企业创新研究第二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x射线和粒子成像。一个成像探测器要求：统一检测效率，光子计数；高空间分辨率薄膜；由于对散射的x射线或粒子不敏感而提高对比度；线性响应;动态范围;低噪声;利用x射线能量进行微分衰减成像。该研究将通过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，该闪烁体像素板是通过在硅中进行高纵横比（长度/直径）孔的微加工而成的。微通道将通过形成壁包膜，例如通过氧化壁形成SiO2，形成介电波导（光纤）。由于Si/SiO2微通道可以被带到高温下，因此可以将BG0， Nal或Csl等晶体闪烁体与闪烁玻璃，塑料闪烁体和纳米晶体闪烁体一起真空熔化以填充孔。由此产生的闪烁像素板将具有通过光刻技术完全可调节尺寸的特征，孔的直径从一微米到一毫米，并且板的厚度可达大约两毫米。该闪烁体阵列与光学像素探测器（包括CCD、图像增强器和胶片）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。