Low Cost, High Speed, High Sensitivity Detector for Material Science Studies

Advanced photon sources are capable of providing extremely high X-ray intensities and have proven to be outstanding resources for X-ray scattering and time-resolved diffraction of materials. The problem, however, is in finding a detector that can provide multiple frames of detailed structural information at the required millisecond time scale, with high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, and large area. This project will develop a novel X-ray imaging detector that can simultaneously provide millisecond time resolution, high spatial resolution, large imaging area, sensitivity to detect individual low energy X-rays above the noise, and wide dynamic range, all at a very low cost compared to current detector systems. Phase I will fabricate the new scintillator with the desired properties and integrate this sensor with a high-speed readout to form a prototype detector. The detector thus produced will be thoroughly evaluated to establish its sensitivity, resolution, and speed of operation. The Phase II project will develop and deliver a fully-functional large-area detector for advanced materials studies. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee In addition to its exceptional value in time-resolved X-ray diffraction and scattering studies, the detector should find widespread use in many areas of medical imaging, high speed computed tomography, non-destructive testing, and basic physics research. Due to its high performance, compact nature, and very low cost, the proposed detector also should be ideally suited for homeland security applications ranging from baggage scanning to the detection of biological agents, without contaminating the detector system.