High quantum detection efficiency and low cost metal/plastic fibers 2D imager for MeV-radiography

The authors have tested a new concept of segmented scintillating block in order to realize a low cost fast 2D integrating imager for hard X-ray radiography and for neutron radiography. Contrary to other scintillating camera for high energy imaging, the scintillating material is not made up of heavy crystal; it is composed of less expensive scintillating plastic fibers. However, in order to insure a higher detection quantum efficiency, these fibers are surrounded by a lead X-ray electron converter (lead coating). This hybrid scintillating block is then adjusted upon a Micro Channel Plate Image Intensifier. They present experimental results about the performances of this kind of scintillating device as a hard X-ray imager. They can notice that the detection quantum efficiency is very high, and simultaneously the spatial resolution is preserved by this kind of pixellization. They have demonstrated that such a hybrid scintillating set-up is already interesting in order to constitute a MeV radiography (low cost) detector; it reaches the quantum limit of detection and can also provide images at high dose rate. On the same principle, with a light metal replacing the lead it is possible to make an efficient fast neutron imaging device