Image detector having photoconductive layer, linear electrodes transparent to reading light, and signal-readout electrodes shaded from reading light

Abstract

An image detector includes a recording-side photoconductive layer, a reading-side photoconductive layer, a charge storage region, and a pair of electrode layers. One of the pair of electrode layers located near to the reading-side photoconductive layer comprises a plurality of first linear electrodes transparent to reading light, and a plurality of second linear electrodes each of which corresponds to at least one first linear electrode, and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the amount of latent-image charges when the at least one first linear electrode is scanned with the reading light. The image detector further includes means for making the strength of irradiation of each second linear electrode with the reading light smaller than the strength of irradiation of at least one first linear electrode corresponding to the second linear electrode with the reading light.

Description

[0001] The subject matters disclosed in this specification are related to the subject matters disclosed in the following copending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent applications:[0002] (1) U.S. Ser. No. 09 / 404,371 filed by Shinji Imai on Sep. 24, 1999 and entitled "READ-OUT APPARATUS FOR AN IMAGE DETECTOR," corresponding to Japanese patent application Nos. 10(1998)-271374 and 11(1999)-242876, the latter of which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-162726;[0003] (2) U.S. Ser. No. 09 / 539,412 filed by Masaharu Ogawa (the inventor of the present application), Shinji Imai, and Toshitaka Agano on Mar. 30, 2000 and entitled "RADIATION SOLID-STATE DETECTORS, AND RADIATION IMAGE RECORD-READING METHOD AND DEVICE USING THE SAME," corresponding to Japanese patent application No. 11(1999)-87922, which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-284056;[0004] (3) U.S. Ser. No. 09 / 538,479 filed by Shinji Imai on Sep. 24, 1999 and entitled "SOLID-STATE R...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide an image detector which comprises light-entrance electrodes and linear charging electrodes, can substantially increase the readout efficiency, and is easy to produce.

[0023] Since the above means is provided in the image detector according to the present invention, the strength of irradiation of the plurality of second linear electrodes (which are provided for reading out the electric signal corresponding to the amount of the latent-image charges) with the second electromagnetic radiation (i.e., reading light) can be decreased, and it is therefore possible to avoid the decrease in the readout efficiency caused by the edge effect produced in the near-edge portions of each of the plurality of second linear electrodes. In addition, the above decrease in the strength of irradiation of the plurality of second linear electrodes can be achieved without specially processing the first and second electrodes. Therefore, the manufacturing process does not become complex, and the manufacturing cost does not increase.

[0025] (i) The above means may be realized by a plurality of shading films arranged to shade the plurality of second linear electrodes from the second electromagnetic radiation. Since, in this case, the plurality of second linear electrodes are shaded from the second electromagnetic radiation, the plurality of first linear electrodes and the plurality of second linear electrodes can be made of an identical material, and thus the image detector which achieves high readout efficiency can be manufactured easily.

[0033] When one of the above condition (3), the more preferable condition, and the further preferable condition is satisfied, the readout efficiency can be further increased.

Problems solved by technology

Furthermore, when the transmittance of the reading light through the light-entrance electrodes is small, the amount of the reading light entering the reading-side photoconductive layer becomes insufficient.

However, in this case, the manufacturing process becomes more complex, and the manufacturing cost increases.

Therefore, the construction of the electrodes becomes complex.

In addition, it is not easy to form electrodes with different materials within the same layer.

Further, when electrodes of different materials are formed within the same layer, the manufacturing process becomes more complex, and the manufacturing cost further increases.

Images