NANOPHASE GLASS CERAMIC X-RAY IMAGING MATERIALS

This Phase II focuses on moving a new transparent storage phosphor imaging plate technology from the laboratory to a clinical prototype product. In Phase I methods to make, polish, heat treat, and characterize ~6 x 8 cm glass plates that provide superior resolution compared to the current best were developed. Potential customers need better plates to improve imaging performance in CR systems and enable them to compete with DR technologies, particularly in the area of mammography. The outcome of the proposed RandD will be a new image plate product based on proprietary technology that is tested and verified to a pre-clinical level. The proposed research has five components: (i) Perfect/make glass plates, (ii) Characterize plates, (iii) Package and integrate plates, (iv) Measure imaging performance, and (v) Construct a prototype product. Glass production will be perfected by increasing the scale of processing and improving process control to obtain consistent products that meet target perfromance requirements, including values of MTF, DQE, and readout speed. Imaging performance will be measured in the laboratory and using standard test phantoms to benchmark reading accuracy by experienced clinical radiologists. The resulting products will be packaged in cassettes designed to operate within existing medical imaging infrastructure.