Sub-micron focal spot X-ray source for ultra-high resolution detector characterization and nano-imaging applications

滑铁卢大学是数字X射线技术的国际领先者，除其他设备外，它还推动了世界上空间分辨率最高的数字X射线成像仪的发明，其像素间距低于10微米，比同类商业上可获得的最先进的X射线成像设备小10倍以上。这种超高分辨率X射线成像仪在大分子结晶学、医学成像、半导体元件的无损检测和生物技术研究等领域将出现新的应用。加拿大光源(CLS)光束线和美国国家实验室同步加速器设施的主要领导人已经表达了对使用这些高分辨率探测器探索新应用的浓厚兴趣。这项提议要求一个最先进的0.25微米焦点X射线源，能够(1)在工程原型开发阶段表征这些世界上第一台超高分辨率数字X射线成像仪，(2)在新材料(包括纳米材料)领域使用新型X射线探测器承担新的科学成像任务。表征设备将安装在大学级的千兆到纳米电子学(G2N)设施中，所有G2N实验室用户(每年来自十个部门的45名用户)以及Teledyne DALSA和安森美半导体等著名的本地数字成像行业都可以使用该设备。国际和平倡议和共同申请者每年培训30多名总部基地人员，预计其中至少一半人每年将利用拟议的基础设施接受X光和数字成像仪定性方面的培训。到目前为止，相关研究项目的毕业生已经在Teledyne DALSA、GE Healthcare、苹果、安森美半导体、美国FDA、Omnivision、Christie Digital、Ignis找到了工作，其中两人已经创办了自己的公司。

The University of Waterloo is an international leader in digital X-ray technology having facilitated the invention of, among other devices, one of the world's highest-spatial-resolution digital X-ray imager having a pixel pitch of under 10 microns, more then 10X smaller than a comparable commercially available state-of-the-art X-ray imaging device. New applications are poised to emerge for this ultra-high resolution X-ray imager in fields such as macromolecular crystallography, medical imaging, non-destructive testing of semiconductor components, and biotech research. Key leaders at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) beam line and the U.S. National Labs synchrotron facility have already expressed keen interest in using these high-resolution detectors to explore new applications. This proposal requests a state-of-the-art 0.25 um focal spot X-ray source capable of (1) characterizing these world-first ultra-high resolution digital X-ray imagers during the engineering prototype development phase and (2) undertaking new scientific imaging tasks using the novel X-ray detector in the fields of new materials (including nano materials). The characterization equipment will be housed in the university-level Giga-to-Nanoelectronics (G2N) facility and will be accessible to all G2N lab users (45 annually from across ten departments) as well as prominent local digital imaging industry such as Teledyne DALSA and ON Semiconductor. The PI and co-applicants are training over 30 HQPs annually and it is expected that at least half of these will be trained annually on X-ray and digital imager characterization using the proposed infrastructure. To date, graduates from the relevant research programs have found employment at Teledyne DALSA, GE Healthcare, Apple, ON Semiconductor, US FDA, Omnivision, Christie Digital, Ignis, and two have started their own company.