Structured scintillator for hard x-ray grating interferometry

Grating interferometry at conventional x-ray tubes improves the quality of radiographies and tomograms by providing phase and scattering contrast data. The main challenge encountered when applying this technique at high photon energies, as required by many applications to obtain sufficient penetration depth, is to maintain a high fringe visibility. In this letter, we report on a substantial improvement in fringe visibility and according improvements in image quality achieved by replacing the absorbing analyzer grating of the interferometer with a structured scintillator grating. This development represents a significant step toward the implementation of this technique in industrial testing and medical applications.