Design and performance of an imaging plate system for X-ray diffraction study

A new readout system for a BaFBr:Eu2+ photostimulable phosphor screen (imaging plate) was constructed by modifying a drum scanner, with a design optimized for X-ray diffraction and scattering applications. An effort was made to achieve a high detective quantum efficiency below 20 keV, a small pixel size (25 μm x 25 μm), a low quantization noise (0.22%) using 12-bit A/D converters, and the capability to cover an inherent dynamic range (1:105) of the photostimulated luminescence by using two photomultiplier tubes. This system is being used in several synchrotron radiation experiments: Laue diffraction of protein crystals, small angle diffraction from a single muscle fiber, powder diffraction from crystals in a diamond anvil cell, and time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering from a synthetic polymer during stretching. (orig.)