Manufacturing High Efficiency,yet High Resolution, Scintillator for Wide-Band X-Ray Analysis

High-resolution CCD/CMOS area detectors coupled to scintillators are commonly used at synchrotrons for a wide range of experiments. While various detectors satisfy resolution, efficiency, speed of operation, and large active area needs for low-energy X-rays (8 to 12 keV), none are suitable for the hard X-rays (20 to 100 keV) critical for numerous materials science and sensitive biological materials studies. Therefore, a new generation of high-efficiency scintillators is required to provide high spatial resolution, bright emissions and fast decay, thereby extending the applicability of current CCD/CMOS detectors to hard X-ray energies, and facilitating new detector designs to support future experiments. We propose to develop a novel structured scintillator with high density, high effective atomic number and proven scintillation properties, in a morphology ideally suited for high-resolution hard X-ray imaging. With its high density (5.8 g/cm3), high effective Z (59.7), brightness (~115,000 ph/MeV) and green emission (540-nm range, well matched to commercial optics and CCD sensors), we expect the proposed scintillator, grown in microcolumnar form, to outperform current state-of-the-art phosphors such as GOS and CsI:Tl. This application will address specific issues and devise means for large- area (up to 50 x 50 cm) manufacturing of the novel scintillator to detect both soft and hard X-ray energies in high-resolution, high frame rate (1 Hz to over 1 kHz) imaging applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Applications for the proposed novel scintillator include microtomography, macromolecular crystallography, nondestructive testing, polymer research and medical imaging. Due to its extraordinary properties, we expect this scintillator to see widespread use in important synchrotron applications and have high commercial appeal.