Manufacturing High Efficiency, Yet High Resolution, Scintillator for Wide Band X-ray Analysis Final Technical Report (Year 2 of Phase IIB) January 8th, 2019
- Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA (United States)
High-resolution area detectors are commonly used at synchrotron sources for a wide range of scientific experiments. While a variety of detectors satisfy the resolution, efficiency, and large active area needs for imaging with low-energy X-rays (8 keV to 12 keV), none are suitable for the high energy X-rays (20 keV to over 140 keV) and for high frame rate applications that are critical for numerous time-resolved studies in new areas of materials science. There are several applications that will benefit from using hard X-ray energies, and the pulsed X-ray time structure of the advanced photon sources (APS), provided detectors that support the corresponding X-ray absorption, speed, and resolution requirements become available. We have developed a novel structured scintillator with high density, high effective atomic number, and proven scintillation properties, in a morphology ideally suited for high-resolution hard X-ray imaging. With its unique fast decay (~3.55 ns), high brightness (~115,000 ph/MeV), high density (5.6 g/cm3), high effective Z (59.7), and green emission (540 nm range, which is well-matched to CCD sensors), we have established that this new scintillator outperforms current state-of-the-art sensors for hard X-ray energies. During Phase IIB we have brought this material to the threshold of full utility as a practical hard X-ray sensor with fast timing capabilities. We have succeeded in developing the deposition processes, and have standardized the packaging procedure. In-house, and many synchrotron-based tests were conducted to demonstrate imaging capabilities and speed of these scintillators. These tests have established that the new sensor can reduce the data acquisition time at the synchrotron by as much as a factor of four. In the Phase IIB program, much of the development and characterization was similar to the Phase II effort, but with an all-important distinction: the goal was not to demonstration of efficacy, but rather control and reproducibility required to bring the product to commercialization. We recognized several challenges which must be addressed before the technology to become commercial reality and have addressed them categorically. We have accomplished this with help from our collaborators at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The key accomplishments involve: 1. Development of manufacturing infrastructure that enables growth of hygroscopic materials without exposure to atmosphere and in production quantities. RMD has invested its own $250K to develop the manufacturing facility for the sensors. 2. Development of an X-ray sensor with as yet unattainable timing properties with primary decay times well below 10ns, which is a major breakthrough in the X-ray imaging field 3. Development of manufacturing protocols leading to consistent and reliable production of beta-prototype specimens which were evaluated at APS and at Oxford University, etc. 4. Patented the technology and published relevant data in peer reviewed journals and conferences Thus, by the conclusion of this Phase IIB program RMD has successfully developed a new LuI3:Ce sensor that will, for the first time, enable measurements of strain and texture during thermo-mechanical deformation, allow studies of composite materials, studies of layered systems including those with applied protective coatings, and probing condensed matter dynamics and muscle diffraction during time-resolved experiments using hard, fast, pulsed X-rays.
- Research Organization:
- Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Contributing Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. Advanced Photon Source
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0007549
- OSTI ID:
- 1489838
- Type / Phase:
- SBIR (Phase IIB)
- Report Number(s):
- C16-34_Final_Report; RMD C1634
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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