Tl Scintillator Screen Research Articles

High-Resolution Thermal Neutron Imaging With ¹⁰Boron/CsI:Tl Scintillator Screen

High-resolution neutron imaging is difficult, due to the low-light output of neutron scintillators, and the spread of light within common neutron-sensitive scintillators as well as the spread of intermediate particles occurring during the detection process. To address this issue, we have developed a highresolution scintillator for neutron imaging by combining enriched <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> B with the well-known CsI:Tl scintillator films. CsI:Tl has excellent properties for X-ray imaging applications, due to a high light yield of 60 000 photons/MeV, and high spatial resolution, which derives from its microcolumnar structure, which channels scintillation light to the photodetector. To enable CsI:Tl to detect neutrons, <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> B (96% enriched) was deposited by electron beam directly onto the CsI:Tl film, making a layered scintillator structure in which the alphas produced by the neutron interaction with <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> B are detected in the CsI:Tl. The <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> B layer was approximately 3 μm thick, while the thickness of the CsI:Tl film was 11 μm. These novel layered scintillators were integrated into the high-resolution neutron imaging detector [“Paul Scherer Institute (PSI) Neutron Microscope”] at the Pulse OverLap DIffractometer (POLDI) beamline at the PSI. With our <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> B/CsI:Tl scintillator, we were able to achieve a spatial resolution down to 9 μm. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the layered scintillator, we present results obtained by thermal neutron imaging as well as high-resolution neutron-computed tomography. Finally, we believe there is considerable scope for future optimization of the performance of this system.

LiF/CsI:Tl Scintillator for High-Resolution Neutron Imaging

We have developed a novel scintillator for neutron imaging by combining enriched <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> LiF with the well-known CsI:Tl scintillator screens. The CsI:Tl scintillator is attractive for imaging applications due to its high light yield (60 000 photons/MeV) and its columnar form that provides a high spatial resolution by collimating the scintillation light to the detector. To make the scintillator sensitive to neutrons, the powdered <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> LiF (95% enriched) was applied to the surface of the columnar CsI:Tl screen. Further studies to optimize performance are underway, varying the thickness of both layers. These screens can be produced with excellent uniformity over large areas. The samples were tested by coupling to charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras at the high-flux isotope reactor (HFIR) CG-1D neutron imaging beamline at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Excellent quality images were acquired with an observed spatial resolution of 7 lp/mm. When coupled to a photomultiplier tube (PMT), a gamma equivalent energy (GEE) of 2.1 MeV was obtained, indicating a light signal of ~100 000 photons/neutron. In addition, the neutron and gamma signals were well-separated by pulse shape discrimination (PSD). The details of the radiographic results, including tomographic imaging, are presented here.

Determination of the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of CMOS/CsI imaging detectors following the novel IEC 62220-1-1:2015 International Standard

The purpose of the present study was to determine the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) of CMOS imaging detectors, coupled to structured CsI:Tl and Gd2O2S:Tb scintillating screens, following the new IEC 62220-1-1:2015 International Standard. DQE was assessed after the experimental determination of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the Normalized Noise Power Spectrum (NNPS) in the general radiography energy range. Two CMOS sensors were used; one with a pixel size of 22.5 μmcoupled to a columnar CsI:Tl scintillator screen with thickness of 490 μm, which was placed in direct contact with the optical sensor and one with a pixel size of 74.8 μmcoupled to a 200 μmcolumnar CsI:Tl scintillator screen. The MTF was measured using the slanted-edge method (following both the IEC 62220-1:2003 and IEC 62220-1-1:2015 methods) while NNPS was determined by 2D Fourier transforming uniformly exposed images. Both parameters were assessed by irradiation under the RQA-3 and RQA-5 (IEC 62220-1-1:2015) beam qualities. The detector response functions were linear for the exposure ranges under investigation. MTFs calculated following the 62220-1:2003 protocol, were found in all cases overestimated in the higher frequency range (spatial frequencies higher than 2 cycles/mm). DQE values, determined with the IEC 62220-1:2003 method, were also found overestimated (spatial frequencies higher than 2 cycles/mm), due to the influence of both MTF and NNPS. The influence of both additive and multiplicative lag effects were found below 0.005, insuring that lag contributes less than 0.5% of the effective exposure.

Experimental measurement of a high resolution CMOS detector coupled to CsI scintillators under X-ray radiation

The purpose of the present study was to assess the information content of structured CsI:Tl scintillating screens, specially treated to be compatible to a CMOS digital imaging optical sensor, in terms of the information capacity (IC), based on Shannon's mathematical communication theory. IC was assessed after the experimental determination of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the Normalized Noise Power Spectrum (NNPS) in the mammography and general radiography energy range. The CMOS sensor was coupled to three columnar CsI:Tl scintillator screens obtained from the same manufacturer with thicknesses of 130, 140 and 170 μm respectively, which were placed in direct contact with the optical sensor. The MTF was measured using the slanted-edge method while NNPS was determined by 2D Fourier transforming of uniformly exposed images. Both parameters were assessed by irradiation under the mammographic W/Rh (130, 140 and 170 μm CsI screens) and the RQA-5 (140 and 170 μm CsI screens) (IEC 62220-1) beam qualities. The detector response function was linear for the exposure range under investigation. At 70 kVp, under the RQA-5 conditions IC values were found to range between 2229 and 2340 bits/mm2. At 28 kVp the corresponding IC values were found to range between 2262 and 2968 bits/mm2. The information content of CsI:Tl scintillating screens in combination to the high resolution CMOS sensor, investigated in the present study, where found optimized for use in digital mammography imaging systems.

Light output measurements and computational models of microcolumnar CsI scintillators for x-ray imaging.

The authors report on measurements of light output and spatial resolution of microcolumnar CsI:Tl scintillator detectors for x-ray imaging. In addition, the authors discuss the results of simulations aimed at analyzing the results of synchrotron and sealed-source exposures with respect to the contributions of light transport to the total light output. The authors measured light output from a 490-μm CsI:Tl scintillator screen using two setups. First, the authors used a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to measure the response of the scintillator to sealed-source exposures. Second, the authors performed imaging experiments with a 27-keV monoenergetic synchrotron beam and a slit to calculate the total signal generated in terms of optical photons per keV. The results of both methods are compared to simulations obtained with hybridmantis, a coupled x-ray, electron, and optical photon Monte Carlo transport package. The authors report line response (LR) and light output for a range of linear absorption coefficients and describe a model that fits at the same time the light output and the blur measurements. Comparing the experimental results with the simulations, the authors obtained an estimate of the absorption coefficient for the model that provides good agreement with the experimentally measured LR. Finally, the authors report light output simulation results and their dependence on scintillator thickness and reflectivity of the backing surface. The slit images from the synchrotron were analyzed to obtain a total light output of 48 keV-1 while measurements using the fast PMT instrument setup and sealed-sources reported a light output of 28 keV-1 . The authors attribute the difference in light output estimates between the two methods to the difference in time constants between the camera and PMT measurements. Simulation structures were designed to match the light output measured with the camera while providing good agreement with the measured LR resulting in a bulk absorption coefficient of 5 × 10-5 μm-1 . The combination of experimental measurements for microcolumnar CsI:Tl scintillators using sealed-sources and synchrotron exposures with results obtained via simulation suggests that the time course of the emission might play a role in experimental estimates. The procedure yielded an experimentally derived linear absorption coefficient for microcolumnar Cs:Tl of 5 × 10-5 μm-1 . To the author's knowledge, this is the first time this parameter has been validated against experimental observations. The measurements also offer insight into the relative role of optical transport on the effective optical yield of the scintillator with microcolumnar structure.