A new X-ray scintillator for digital radiography

The authors report a new scintillator based on a transparent ceramic of Lu₂O₃:Eu. The material has an extremely high density of 9.4 g/cm³ and a light output comparable to CsI:Tl. Its narrow-band emission at 610 nm perfectly matches the spectral response of charge coupled devices (CCDs). To enhance the spatial and contrast resolution, the authors have developed a special process to pixelate the scintillator and prevent the spread of light within the scintillator volume. The imaging performance of this pixelated device was evaluated using a thermoelectrically cooled CCD camera. The new scintillator is expected to play a major role in digital radiographic systems when readout technologies capable of taking advantage of the transparency are developed further.