Development of a high-spatial-resolution X-ray detection system with silicon separator

In this study, a high-spatial-resolution scintillator-type X-ray detection system with a silicon separator was developed. The image characteristics are evaluated, and the approaches required for the practical application of the proposed system were discussed. X-ray inspection is an indispensable benefit in various fields; however, the spatial resolution of a scintillation-type X-ray detector is not as high as that of a direct-conversion X-ray imaging detector due to the scattering of the scintillator emissions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to suppress such diffusion and improve the resolution to achieve a high-spatial-resolution scintillator-type X-ray imaging detector. Silicon wafers were processed to create small square holes in pixel patterns, and these holes were filled with the scintillator. The spatial resolution of the sample was then measured to confirm its improvement. The high-spatial-resolution of the scintillator-type detector was achieved using silicon separators. Moreover, appropriate noise characteristics and detection efficiency must be ensured to achieve good detection capability. Based on X-ray irradiation experiments and image quality evaluations, indicators were obtained for improving the image detection performance of the silicon separator in terms of noise and detection efficiency. Thus, the scintillator-type imaging detector with the high-spatial-resolution could be of practical use.