Production method of scintillator dual array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9899113-B2
Application number	US-201314378873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2013
Priority date	Mar 30, 2012
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A method for producing a scintillator dual array comprising the steps of bonding first and second scintillator bar arrays having different sensitivity distributions of X-ray energy detection and pluralities of parallel grooves with equal gaps, via an intermediate resin layer, such that both scintillator bars are aligned in a lamination direction, cutting the integrally bonded bar array in a direction crossing the scintillator bars, and coating one cut surface of each bonded bar array piece with a resin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a scintillator dual array comprising the steps of
bonding a first scintillator bar array comprising a plurality of first scintillator bars arranged via parallel grooves and a hardened reflecting resin filling said grooves, to a second scintillator bar array comprising a plurality of second scintillator bars arranged via parallel grooves and a hardened reflecting resin filling said grooves, via a light-reflecting, intermediate resin layer, thereby aligning both scintillator bar arrays in a lamination direction such that both scintillator bars are arranged in the same direction, and forming an integrally bonded bar array;
cutting the integrally bonded bar array in an arranging direction of said first and second scintillator bars to form a plurality of bonded bar array pieces; and
coating one cut surface of each of said bonded bar array pieces with a reflecting resin;
said first and second scintillator bars having the same pitch; and
said first and second scintillator bars having different sensitivity distributions of X-ray energy detection.

2. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second scintillator bar arrays are bonded after said intermediate resin layer is provided on either one of them.

3. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 2 , wherein said intermediate resin layer is formed on one of said scintillator bar arrays by (a) a method of forming a frame surrounding a region for said intermediate layer, pouring a liquid hardening resin for the intermediate layer into said frame, and grinding the hardened resin to predetermined thickness, (b) a method of forming a photoresist pattern surrounding a region for said intermediate layer by photolithography, pouring a liquid hardening resin into said photoresist pattern, and grinding the hardened resin to predetermined thickness, or (c) a method of bonding a hard resin plate having a predetermined thickness for said intermediate layer.

4. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 , wherein said first scintillator bar array is formed by forming a plurality of parallel grooves in a first scintillator substrate fixed to a support plate, filling said grooves with a light-reflecting, hardening resin, and grinding said first scintillator substrate to a predetermined thickness; and wherein said second scintillator bar array is formed by forming a plurality of parallel grooves in a second scintillator substrate fixed to a support plate, filling said grooves with a light-reflecting, hardening resin, and grinding said second scintillator substrate to a predetermined thickness.

5. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 , wherein both scintillator bar arrays are aligned in a lamination direction by forming positioning grooves in both scintillator bar arrays, inserting pins into the positioning grooves of either lower one of said first and second scintillator bar arrays, and laminating the other scintillator bar array on the lower scintillator bar array, with said pins received in the positioning grooves of the other scintillator bar array.

6. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said bonded bar array pieces are placed on a support plate with equal gaps and are coated with a liquid hardening resin, said resin is hardened to form a dual array assembly, and said dual array assembly is cut along resin layers between said bonded bar array pieces to obtain individual scintillator dual arrays.

7. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 ,
wherein said first scintillator bar array is formed by fixing a first scintillator substrate to a support plate, providing said first scintillator substrate with a plurality of parallel grooves as deep as its thickness, coating said first scintillator substrate having penetrating grooves with a liquid hardening resin filling said penetrating grooves, hardening said resin to form a first resin-hardened, grooved scintillator substrate, and grinding said first resin-hardened, grooved scintillator substrate to desired thickness; and
wherein said second scintillator bar array is formed by fixing a second scintillator substrate to a support plate, providing said second scintillator substrate with a plurality of parallel grooves as deep as its thickness, coating said second scintillator substrate having penetrating grooves with a liquid hardening resin filling said penetrating grooves, hardening said resin to form a second resin-hardened, grooved scintillator substrate, and grinding said second resin-hardened, grooved scintillator substrate to desired thickness.

8. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 ,
wherein said first scintillator bar array is formed by fixing a first scintillator substrate to a support plate, providing said first scintillator substrate with a plurality of parallel grooves shallower than its thickness to form a first comb-shaped scintillator substrate comprising a plurality of parallel scintillator bars integral via connecting portions, coating said first comb-shaped scintillator substrate with a liquid hardening resin filling said grooves, hardening said resin to form a first resin-hardened, comb-shaped scintillator substrate, and grinding said first resin-hardened, comb-shaped scintillator substrate to desired thickness such that said connecting portions are removed; and
wherein said second scintillator bar array is formed by fixing a second scintillator substrate to a support plate, providing said second scintillator substrate with a plurality of parallel grooves shallower than its thickness to form a second comb-shaped scintillator substrate comprising a plurality of parallel scintillator bars integral via connecting portions, coating said second comb-shaped scintillator substrate with a liquid hardening resin filling said grooves, hardening said resin to form a second resin-hardened, comb-shaped scintillator substrate, and grinding said second resin-hardened, comb-shaped scintillator substrate to desired thickness such that said connecting portions are removed.

9. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 1 , wherein said first scintillator bar array is a YGAG scintillator bar array or a ZnSe scintillator bar array, and said second scintillator bar array is a GOS scintillator bar array or a GGAG scintillator bar array.

10. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 9 , wherein said first scintillator bar array is a YGAG scintillator bar array, and said second scintillator bar array is a GOS scintillator bar array.

11. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 9 , wherein said first scintillator bar array is a YGAG scintillator bar array, and said second scintillator bar array is a GGAG scintillator bar array.

12. The method for producing a scintillator dual array according to claim 9 , wherein said first scintillator bar array is a ZnSe scintillator bar array, and said second scintillator bar array is a GGAG scintillator bar array.

Assignees

• Hitachi Metals Ltd

Inventors

• Nitta Hideo
• SHIGEKAWA Akira
• Shiota Satoshi
• Nagatomo Hiroyuki

Classifications

• C09K11/7774

  Aluminates · CPC title

• G21K4/00 Primary

  Conversion screens for the conversion of the spatial distribution of X-rays or particle radiation into visible images, e.g. fluoroscopic screens (photographic processes using X-ray intensifiers G03C5/17; discharge tubes comprising luminescent screens H01J1/62; cathode ray tubes for X-ray conversion with optical output H01J31/50) · CPC title

• C09K11/883

  with zinc or cadmium · CPC title

• Y10T29/49888

  Subsequently coating · CPC title

• G01T1/2008

  using a combination of different types of scintillation detectors, e.g. phoswich · CPC title