Hybrid scintillators for x-ray imaging

The objective of this effort is to improve x-ray absorption and light production while maintaining high spatial resolution in x-ray imaging phosphor screens. Our current target is to improve screen absorption efficiency and screen brightness by factors of 2 or greater over existing screens that have 10-1p/mm resolution. In this program, commercial phosphor screens are combined with highly absorbing, high-resolution scintillating fiber-optic (SFO) face plates to provide a hybrid sensor that exhibits superior spatial resolution, x-ray absorption, and brightness values over the phosphor material alone. These characteristics of hybrid scintillators can be adjusted to meet specific x-ray imaging requirements over a wide range of x-ray energy. This paper discusses the design, fabrication, and testing of a new series of hybrid scintillators.