Scintillator Development for High Frequency Free-Electron Laser X-ray Sources

Characterization of the X-ray FEL and synchrotron beam profiles are achieved by using the X-ray profile screens that consist of a scintillator and a CCD camera. Currently, YAG:Ce single crystal is the primary scintillator used for this application. However, YAG:Ce can not dissipate the absorbed energy associated with the high repetition rate and high flux upgrades of the beamlines and is physically damaged. Under this SBIR program, we will develop a high-thermal-conductivity scintillator for high-resolution X-ray detector screens for high power density X-ray sources. The major tasks of phase I would be: (a) Demonstration of a high spatial-resolution high thermal-conductivity X-ray detector, and (b) Optimization of the detector for heat dissipation and scintillation properties. This high thermal conductivity rugged scintillator that will be developed under this program will have multifaceted commercial applications in harsh environments. In addition to physics experiments, these scintillators have immense potential in industrial and homeland security applications a such as X-ray inspection stations.