An experimental method for the determination of spatial-frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of scintillators used in X-ray imaging detectors

The spatial-frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of imaging scintillators was studied independently of the optical detector (film, photocathode, or photodiode) employed in medical imaging devices. A method was developed to experimentally determine the scintillator DQE in terms of its luminescence efficiency (LE), quantum detection efficiency, modulation transfer function, and light emission spectrum. Gd2O2S : Tb, La2O2S : Tb, Y2O2S : Tb and ZnSCdS : Ag scintillating screens were prepared in laboratory and were excited to luminescence by a medical X-ray tube. Maximum DQE values varied between 0.13 and 0.33 depending on the scintillator material, the screen coating weight, and the tube voltage; Gd2O2S : Tb was superior to La2O2S : Tb followed by ZnSCdS : Ag and Y2O2S : Tb. This ranking was maintained at frequencies up to 100 cycles/cm. Considering the same material, DQE of thin screens was found superior to DQE of thicker screens at medium-to-high frequencies. The proposed method allows for the comparison of imaging characteristics of scintillating materials without the inclusion of optical detector imaging properties.