High image quality segmented scintillators for high energy X-rays

Real-time, position sensitive detectors for X-rays and γ-rays are of increasing importance in numerous medical and industrial areas. An important application of high energy X-rays is for dense-object radiography where high quality images of large volume objects have to be acquired in short time intervals. When compared to semiconductor detectors and Anger cameras, scintillators can be grown very thick enabling detection of high energy X-rays and γ-rays. As compared to single crystal scintillators, segmented scintillators have several potential advantages. Segmented scintillators allow smaller pixel size and have the potential to optimize the stopping power and spatial resolution, all of which are required for imaging high energy X-rays. We have developed a new approach to fabricate thick segmented scintillators with small pixel size using an injection process into a metal matrix to produce high stopping power and spatial resolution. This resulted in an increased light output (48% as compared to the bulk material) and a submillimeter resolution. This approach has potential to fabricate large area (>400 cm²) segmented scintillators and operate over a wide energy range