Digital radiography using an EBCCD-based imaging device

In the last few years, large efforts were devoted to the development of new intensified imaging systems to be applied mainly in medical radiographic devices for the reduction of the dose irradiated to the patient but also in high-energy physics for particle tracking or in astronomy for low-light imaging. Among a number of different image-intensifier systems, electron-bombarded charge coupled devices (EBCCD) present interesting characteristics providing the opportunity to be used also for special application such as X-ray imaging in industrial field. For this purpose, a prototype EBCCD image-intensifier tube suitable for X-ray digital radiography (DR) and computed tomography (CT) has been set up by the Physics Department of the University of Bologna (Italy) and Geosphaera Research Center of Moscow (Russia). Results concerning tests of EBCCD device and DR analysis of industrial components are presented and discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.