Coupling method and detector

Abstract

The present application provides a coupling method and a detector, which can save the overall manufacturing cost of the detector, reduce the overall weight of the detector, and have a simple packaging process for the flexible film and the scintillator with low cost. Moreover, the frame thickness of the detector ranges from 1 to 2 mm, which can meet the requirements of various high-tech detector application fields such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of screen encapsulation, and particularly to a coupling method and a detector. Background Art

[0002] In an X-ray flat panel detector, scintillator coupling is a very crucial core technology in the detector assembly process. The quality of scintillator coupling directly determines the performance of the detector. Scintillator coupling means that the scintillator is closely attached to the sensor. Currently, the coupling technologies between a CsI (chemical formula of cesium iodide) scintillator and a photosensitive sensor are mainly divided into an indirect coupling technology and a direct growth coupling technology.

[0003] For large-sized CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) detectors in the prior art, due to technical difficulties or cost reduction, most of them are composed of multiple CMOS sensors spliced together. For such a spliced detector, when directly growing and coupling the scintillator, problems such as scintillator cracking, image abnormality, and abnormal weather resistance test caused by the splicing seam between sensors cannot be solved. Therefore, such detectors composed of multiple spliced CMOS sensors mainly adopt the indirect coupling method.

[0004] There are currently two schemes for the indirect coupling technology. One is the scheme with a transparent optical fiber substrate structure as the main structure for coupling, and the other is the scheme with a non-transparent substrate inverted coupling as the main structure. The non-transparent substrate mainly includes a C-based (carbon-based), an Al-based (aluminum-based), or an organic flexible substrate.

[0005] In the structure coated with a non-transparent substrate, the coated substrate has a slightly higher hardness and is prone to deformation. The bonding effect with glue is very poor, resulting in poor image quality of the scintillator screen; when evaporating CsI on the substrate, a transparent encapsulation scheme needs to be adopted, but the transparent encapsulation scheme has complex processes, high costs, and is prone to scratching the scintillator, leading to the failure of the scintillator screen; the substrate is larger than the CsI scintillator screen, resulting in the inability of the assembled whole machine to achieve a narrow frame within 2 mm.

[0006] In the structure with a transparent optical fiber guide plate, the optical fiber guide plate has a high hardness, and it is difficult to bond the optical fiber guide plate to the sensor. The bonding glue layer is prone to problems such as air bubbles and uneven thickness; the optical fiber guide plate is expensive and has a high manufacturing cost; the optical fiber guide plate absorbs about 30% of the light of the scintillator and has a certain degree of scattering, increasing the X-ray dose and also affecting the image quality. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a coupling method and a detector, which are used to solve the technical problems in the prior art that the coupling method adopted by the scintillator screen and the sensor results in high manufacturing cost, poor yield, and poor image quality of the scintillator screen.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a coupling method, including the following steps:

[0009] A flexible film is provided on a substrate;

[0010] A scintillator is provided on a surface of the flexible film away from the substrate;

[0011] The scintillator and the flexible film are encapsulated together;

[0012] The flexible film is separated from the substrate;

[0013] The flexible film is attached to a sensor.

[0014] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, a detector with a narrow frame, low cost, low coupling difficulty, high performance, high yield, and wide application can be obtained.

[0015] In a preferred implementation, in the step of providing the flexible film on the substrate, the following steps are included:

[0016] A flexible substrate is coated on the substrate;

[0017] The flexible substrate is cured to form the flexible film.

[0018] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the flexible film is formed on the substrate by a coating process, and the process flow is simple and the application range is wide.

[0019] In a preferred implementation, the material of the flexible film is one or more polymer materials.

[0020] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, since the polymer material has a high light transmittance, the light transmittance of the flexible film can reach 95% - 99%. The high light transmittance of the flexible film can reduce the X-ray irradiation dose required for the X-ray to pass through the scintillator screen.

[0021] In a preferred implementation, the scintillator is formed by evaporating a scintillator film layer on a surface of the flexible film away from the substrate.

[0022] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the scintillator formed by the evaporation process has a high CsI purity and high precision.

[0023] In a preferred implementation, in the step of providing the scintillator on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate, the following steps are included:

[0024] A water vapor barrier layer is provided on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate;

[0025] A scintillator is provided on the surface of the water vapor barrier layer away from the substrate.

[0026] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the adhesion between the scintillator and the flexible film can be improved.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, in the step of encapsulating the scintillator and the flexible film together, the following steps are included:

[0028] A protective film is fabricated on the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film;

[0029] The part of the protective film not adhered to the scintillator is adhered to the flexible film together.

[0030] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the scintillator is encapsulated in the closed space formed by the protective film and the flexible film, preventing the scintillator from being scratched and preventing water vapor from invading the scintillator, resulting in consequences that affect the image quality.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the flexible film is separated from the substrate by a laser lift-off process.

[0032] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the substrate and the flexible film can be completely separated without any mechanical external force, avoiding accidents of deformation and damage of the flexible film.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the sensor is bonded to the surface of the flexible film away from the scintillator by an adhesive, and the light transmittance of the adhesive is 95% - 99%.

[0034] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the flexible film can be adaptively bent at uneven places, so as to achieve the effect of complete fitting between the sensor and the flexible film, reducing the coupling difficulty, improving the production yield, and not affecting the image quality. And the high light transmittance of the adhesive can avoid excessive absorption of X-rays during penetration.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the sensor, and the flexible film has a plurality of edges protruding the sensor on the surface extension plane of the flexible film;

[0036] After the step of bonding the sensor to the flexible film of the scintillation screen, the following steps are further included:

[0037] At least one of the edges is bent and adhered to the periphery of the sensor.

[0038] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, a narrow border with a width of up to 2 mm is formed at the edge of the formed detector, enabling the detector to meet the requirements of various high-tech application fields such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

[0039] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detector, including a scintillator assembly, a flexible film, and a sensor assembly. The flexible film has opposite first and second surfaces. The scintillator assembly is encapsulated on the first surface of the flexible film, and the sensor assembly is attached to the second surface of the flexible film.

[0040] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the scintillator assembly and the sensor assembly are coupled together through the flexible film. Due to the high transmittance and low absorption of the flexible film to X-rays, the dose of X-rays is reduced, improving the performance of the detector. Moreover, the flexible film has advantages such as low cost and low coupling difficulty, enabling the detector to have a high yield and wide application.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the scintillator assembly includes a protective film and a scintillator. The scintillator is attached to the first surface of the flexible film, and the protective film covers the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film and encapsulates the scintillator.

[0042] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the scintillator is encapsulated in the closed space formed by the protective film and the flexible film by using the protective film, preventing the scintillator from being scratched and preventing water vapor from invading the scintillator, which may affect the image quality.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the protective film has a protective film middle part, a protective film connecting part, and a protective film side part. The protective film connecting part connects the protective film middle part and the protective film side part. The flexible film has a flexible film middle part and a plurality of flexible film edges, and the plurality of flexible film edges are respectively connected to the outer periphery of the flexible film middle part;

[0044] The scintillator is attached to the flexible film middle part, the middle part of the protective film is attached to the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film, the connecting part of the protective film is attached to the periphery of the scintillator, and the protective film side part is attached to the flexible film edge;

[0045] The surface area of the protective film is larger than the surface area of the flexible film, and the surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the scintillator.

[0046] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the protective film and the scintillator, and the protective film and the flexible film are closely attached together, making the various parts of the detector bubble-free and having a uniform thickness.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the scintillator assembly further has a water vapor barrier layer disposed between the flexible film and the scintillator.

[0048] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the adhesion between the scintillator and the flexible film can be improved.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly is attached to the middle of the flexible film, and the edges of the flexible film protrude from the sensor assembly on the extension plane of the flexible film. At least one edge of the flexible film can be bent and attached to the periphery of the sensor assembly.

[0050] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, a narrow border with a width of up to 2 mm is formed at the edge of the formed detector, enabling the detector to meet the requirements of various high-tech application fields such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the sensor assembly includes a sensor and a support layer. The sensor is attached to the second surface of the flexible film, and the support layer is attached to the surface of the sensor away from the flexible film.

[0052] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the support layer provides strength support for the sensor, facilitating the stable operation of the sensor.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the number of the sensors is plural, and the plural sensors are attached to the second surface of the flexible film in a tiled manner.

[0054] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, by utilizing the ductility of the flexible film, multiple sensors or multiple types of sensors can be tiled on the same flexible film without increasing the coupling difficulty during the manufacturing process, enabling the detector to be applied to a wider range of scenarios.

[0055] In a preferred embodiment, there is a height difference between two adjacent sensors, and the part of the second surface of the flexible film corresponding to the height difference is bent and deformed to adapt to the height difference.

[0056] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, by utilizing the flexibility of the flexible film and its adaptable bending at the height difference, sensors of different sizes can be compatibly coupled to the flexible film, achieving a perfect fit between the sensor and the flexible film, reducing the coupling difficulty, improving the production yield, and not affecting the performance of the entire detector and the image quality.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the attachment surfaces of each sensor attached to the second surface of the flexible film are flush in the extension direction of the flexible film.

[0058] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the thickness at each position of the flexible film is uniform, and the thickness through which the X-ray penetrates the flexible film is the same, thereby ensuring the image quality finally obtained by the detector.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, the sensor assembly and the flexible film are bonded by an adhesive, and the light transmittance of the adhesive is 95% - 99%.

[0060] Through the solution provided by this embodiment, the high light transmittance of the adhesive can avoid excessive absorption of X-rays during penetration.

[0061] The coupling method and detector disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can save the overall manufacturing cost of the detector, reduce the overall weight of the detector, and the packaging process of the flexible body is simple and low in cost. And the frame thickness of the detector is in the range of 1 - 2 mm, which can meet various high-tech detector application fields such as breast detection and veterinary detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the scintillator assembly and the flexible film in the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the sensor assembly and the flexible film in the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of multiple sensors attached to the flexible film in the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application when there is a height difference between the sensors when multiple sensors are attached to the flexible film;

[0068] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the detector provided by Embodiment 1 of the present application when the sensors are flush with each other when multiple sensors are attached to the flexible film;

[0069] Figure 7 These are schematic diagrams of the structures of various parts of the protective film, scintillator, and flexible film in the detector provided in Embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0070] Figure 8 This is a process flow diagram of the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0071] Figure 9 This is a specific flow chart of Step 100 in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0072] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 100 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0073] Figure 11 This is a specific flow chart of Step 200 in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0074] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 200 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0075] Figure 13 This is a specific flow chart of Step 300 in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0076] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 300 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0077] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 400 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0078] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 500 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application;

[0079] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when Step 600 is executed in the coupling method for manufacturing a detector provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application.

[0080] Reference numerals:

[0081] 1 - Substrate; 2 - Flexible film; 21 - First surface; 22 - Second surface; 23 - Middle part of the flexible film; 24 - Edge of the flexible film; 3 - Water vapor barrier layer; 4 - Scintillator; 41 - Periphery of the scintillator; 5 - Protective film; 51 - Middle part of the protective film; 52 - Connection part of the protective film; 53 - Side of the protective film; 6 - Sensor; 7 - Support layer; 8 - Drop; 100 - Scintillator assembly; 200 - Sensor assembly. Detailed implementation manners

[0082] For a better understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0084] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms of "a", "the" and "said" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0085] It should be understood that the term " / and" used herein is only a description of the associated relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0086] Embodiment 1

[0087] See Figures 1 to 7, Embodiment 1 of the present application discloses a detector, which includes a scintillator assembly 100, a flexible film 2, and a sensor assembly 200. The flexible film 2 has opposite first surface 21 and second surface 22. The scintillator assembly 100 is encapsulated on the first surface 21 of the flexible film 2, and the sensor assembly 200 is attached to the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2. The scintillator assembly 100 and the sensor assembly 200 are coupled together through the flexible film 2. Different from the prior art that uses hard media such as optical fiber guide plates, the flexible film 2 can play its flexible characteristics to adapt to the requirements of various application scenarios, and it is easier to couple the scintillator assembly 100 and the sensor assembly 200 together. The scintillator assembly 100 and the sensor assembly 200 are coupled together through the flexible film 2. Due to the high transmittance and low absorption of X-rays by the flexible film 2, the dose of X-rays is reduced, the performance of the detector is improved, and the flexible film 2 has advantages such as low cost and low coupling difficulty, enabling the detector to have a high yield and wide application. The sensor assembly 200 is bonded to the flexible film 2 through an adhesive, and the light transmittance of the adhesive is 95% - 99%. The high light transmittance of the adhesive can prevent X-rays from being overly absorbed during penetration.

[0088] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the scintillator assembly 100 includes a protective film 5 and a scintillator 4. The scintillator 4 is attached to the first surface 21 of the flexible film 2, and the protective film 5 covers the surface of the scintillator 4 away from the flexible film 2 and encapsulates the scintillator 4. That is, the protective film 5 and the flexible film 2, two flexible and ductile components, wrap the scintillator 4 in the middle to achieve encapsulation, so that the scintillator 4 will not be disturbed by the external environment during operation. The detector of Embodiment 1 uses the protective film 5 to encapsulate the scintillator 4 in the closed space formed by the protective film 5 and the flexible film 2, which can prevent the scintillator 4 from being scratched and prevent water vapor from invading the scintillator 4, resulting in the consequence of affecting the image quality. Further, the scintillator assembly 100 further has a water vapor barrier layer 3, and the water vapor barrier layer 3 is disposed between the flexible film 2 and the scintillator 4, which can improve the adhesion between the scintillator 4 and the flexible film 2.

[0089] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the sensor assembly 200 includes a sensor 6 and a support layer 7. The sensor 6 is attached to the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2, and the support layer 7 is attached to the surface of the sensor 6 away from the flexible film 2. Since the sensor 6 is the core component of the detector and it requires a stable working environment, this makes it necessary to prevent the sensor 6 from moving after being coupled with the flexible film 2. Due to the flexible nature of the flexible film 2, the sensor 6 attached to it is likely to move. At this time, the support layer 7 is needed to provide strength support for the sensor 6 to facilitate the stable operation of the sensor 6. Further, see Figure 4, the number of sensors 6 can be plural, and the plural sensors 6 are attached to the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2 in a tiled manner. Since in some specific application scenarios, different types and sizes of sensors 6 are required, and the number of sensors 6 attached to the flexible film 2 is plural, the flexible characteristic of the flexible film 2 can then meet the application requirements for adapting to different sensors 6. In the detector of Embodiment 1, by utilizing the extensibility of the flexible film 2, multiple sensors 6 or multiple types of sensors 6 can be tiled on the same flexible film 2 without increasing the coupling difficulty during the manufacturing process, enabling the detector to be applied to a wider range of scenarios. In one application scenario, there is a height difference 8 between two adjacent sensors 6. As Figure 5 shown, the part of the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2 corresponding to the height difference 8 is adapted to the height difference 8 and undergoes a bending deformation, so that the flexible film 2 can be closely attached to each sensor 6, and no bubbles will be generated between the flexible film 2 and the sensors 6 to affect the penetration of X-rays. In the detector of Embodiment 1, by utilizing the flexibility of the flexible film 2 and the adaptable bending at the height difference 8, sensors 6 of different sizes and dimensions can be compatibly coupled to the flexible film 2, achieving the effect of complete attachment between the sensors 6 and the flexible film 2, reducing the coupling difficulty, improving the production yield, and not affecting the performance of the entire detector and the image quality. In another application scenario, the attachment surfaces of each sensor 6 to the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2 are flush in the extension direction of the flexible film 2. As Figure 6 shown, in order to make the path of the X-rays passing through the flexible film 2 basically the same at each position of the flexible film 2, that is, the thickness of the flexible film 2 is basically the same at each position, when manufacturing the sensor assembly 200, when each sensor 6 is preferably attached to the second surface 22 of the flexible film 2, the attachment surfaces of each sensor 6 are flush to form a complete plane, so that the thickness of each position of the flexible film 2 is uniform, and the thickness through which the X-rays pass when penetrating the flexible film 2 is the same, thereby ensuring the image quality finally obtained by the detector.

[0090] See Figure 7 , the protective film 5 has a protective film middle part 51, a protective film connecting part 52, and a protective film side part 53. The protective film connecting part 52 connects the protective film middle part 51 and the protective film side part 53. The flexible film 2 has a flexible film middle part 23 and a plurality of flexible film edges 24, and the plurality of flexible film edges 24 are respectively connected to the outer periphery of the flexible film middle part 23; the scintillator 4 is attached to the flexible film middle part 23, the middle part of the protective film 5 is attached to the surface of the scintillator 4 away from the flexible film 2, the connecting part of the protective film 5 is attached to the scintillator periphery 41 of the scintillator 4, and the protective film side part 53 is attached to the flexible film edge 24; the surface area of the protective film 5 is larger than the surface area of the flexible film 2, and the surface area of the flexible film 2 is larger than the surface area of the scintillator 4. From Figure 7It can be seen that the contour of the scintillator 4 is adaptively designed according to the actual application scenario. For example, in one application scenario, the cross-sectional contour of the scintillator 4 is trapezoidal, then the middle part 51 of the protective film and the connecting part 52 of the protective film of the protective film 5 present the shapes of the upper side and the waist of the trapezoid, so that it can be tightly wrapped around the outside of the scintillator 4, and the remaining protective film side 53 that does not wrap the scintillator 4 is bonded to the edge 24 of the flexible film that does not fit the scintillator 4 to achieve encapsulation. Thus, the protective film 5 and the scintillator 4, and the protective film 5 and the flexible film 2 are closely attached together, so that there are no bubbles and the thickness is uniform at each part of the detector. Further, in combination with Figure 1 and Figure 7 , the surface area of the flexible film 2 is larger than the surface area of the sensor assembly 200. The sensor assembly 200 is attached to the middle part 23 of the flexible film. The flexible film edge 24 protrudes from the sensor assembly 200 on the extended plane of the flexible film 2. At least one flexible film edge 24 can be bent and attached to the periphery of the sensor assembly 200. Generally speaking, it is sufficient to bend and attach the flexible film edge 24 to the periphery of the sensor 6 of the sensor assembly 200. It only needs to form a narrow border and reinforce the coupling between the flexible film 2 and the sensor 6 on the side. The edge of the formed detector forms a narrow border of up to 2 mm, so that the detector meets various application fields with high technical requirements such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

[0091] The detector of Embodiment 1 has a simple manufacturing process flow and low production cost. The formed narrow border can meet the application occasions with high technical requirements.

[0092] Embodiment 2

[0093] Embodiment 2 of the present application discloses a coupling method applied to the production of X-ray detectors. This coupling method is used to couple the scintillating screen and the sensor 6 in the detector. Different from the process flow adopted in the prior art, the process flow of the coupling method in Embodiment 2 uses a flexible light-transmitting component to solve the technical problems in the prior art that lead to high production cost, poor yield, and poor image quality of the scintillating screen.

[0094] See Figure 8 , the coupling method of this Embodiment 2 includes the following steps:

[0095] Step100: Set the flexible film 2 on the substrate 1.

[0096] Step200: Set the scintillator 4 on the surface of the flexible film 2 away from the substrate 1.

[0097] Step300: Package the scintillator 4 and the flexible film 2 together.

[0098] Step400: Separate the flexible film 2 from the substrate 1.

[0099] Step500: Attach the flexible film 2 to the sensor 6.

[0100] Step600: Bend the flexible film edge 24 of at least one flexible film 2 and attach it to the periphery of the sensor 6.

[0101] Through the coupling method described in the above steps Step100 to Step600 of this Embodiment 2, a detector with a narrow border, low cost, low coupling difficulty, high performance, high yield rate and wide application can be obtained.

[0102] See Figure 9 and Figure 10 , in Step100, the non-rigid flexible film 2 is stretched and unfolded by the substrate 1 with hardness to facilitate the setting of other components on the flexible film 2. The material of the substrate 1 in this Embodiment 2 is glass. The process of setting the flexible film 2 is divided into the following two steps:

[0103] Step101: Coat a flexible substrate on the substrate 1.

[0104] Step102: Cure the flexible substrate to form the flexible film 2.

[0105] First, the raw material of the flexible film 2 is coated on the substrate 1 to form a film layer, and then the flexible film 2 is formed by curing and molding. The thickness of the flexible film 2 made in this way can be determined according to the actual requirements of the application scenario, and its thickness range is generally 2 - 30μm. For example, in the application scenario where higher light transmittance is required between the scintillator 4 and the sensor 6, the thickness of the flexible film 2 can be closer to 2μm; in the application scenario where a stronger flexible film 2 is required between the scintillator 4 and the sensor 6, the thickness of the flexible film 2 can be closer to 30μm. Using the coating process to form the flexible film 2 on the substrate 1 has a simple process flow and a wide application range. In the coupling method of this Embodiment 2, the coating process can adopt one of the brushing method, spraying method or electrophoretic coating method. The raw material of the flexible film 2 can be one or more polymer materials, such as polyimide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate. These polymer materials have a high light transmittance. Polyimide is preferably used as the material of the flexible film 2, so that the light transmittance of the flexible film 2 can reach 95% - 99%. The high light transmittance of the flexible film 2 can reduce the X-ray irradiation dose required when the X-ray passes through the scintillation screen. In addition, because this Embodiment 2 uses the flexible film 2 with high light transmittance, compared with the prior art using the optical fiber guide plate structure, the overall cost of the detector is reduced by 30%, and the dose of X-ray used by the detector (i.e., the X-ray irradiation dose) is reduced by 30%, thus improving the sensitivity and performance of the detector.

[0106] See Figure 11, in Step 200, the flexible film 2 formed on the substrate 1 according to Step 100 serves as a flexible substrate for disposing the scintillator 4, and a CsI film layer is formed. The surface area of the CsI film layer is smaller than that of the flexible film 2. After being formed, the CsI film layer serves as the scintillator 4, absorbing X-rays and emitting light. The scintillator 4 formed by the evaporation process has a high CsI purity and high precision.

[0107] See Figure 12 , to improve the strength between the flexible film 2 and the scintillator 4, Step 200 further includes the following steps:

[0108] Step 201: Dispose a water vapor barrier layer 3 on the surface of the flexible film 2 away from the substrate 1.

[0109] Step 202: Dispose the scintillator 4 on the surface of the water vapor barrier layer 3 away from the substrate 1.

[0110] First, deposit a water vapor barrier layer 3 on the flexible film 2, and then deposit CsI on the water vapor barrier layer 3 by the evaporation process. The water vapor barrier layer 3 improves the adhesion between the scintillator 4 and the flexible film 2. Generally, the water vapor barrier layer 3 is deposited with a layer of metal nitride or oxide such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or aluminum oxide by chemical vapor deposition (CVD, Chemical Vapor Deposition). The water vapor barrier layer 3 can also be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD, Atomic layer deposition). The thickness of the water vapor barrier layer 3 is between 10 nm and 5000 nm, and is generally set to 1000 nm.

[0111] See Figure 13 and Figure 14 , in Step 300, to strengthen the coupling strength between the scintillator 4 and the flexible film 2 and at the same time protect the scintillator 4, the process of disposing the protective film 5 is divided into the following two steps.

[0112] Step 301: Fabricate the protective film 5 on the surface of the scintillator 4 away from the flexible film 2;

[0113] Step 302: Bond the part of the protective film 5 not adhered to the scintillator 4 to the flexible film 2 together.

[0114] By fabricating a protective film 5 on the CsI film layer of the scintillator 4, the protective film 5 adheres to the surface of the scintillator 4 away from the flexible film 2. The surface area of the protective film 5 is made larger than that of the CsI film layer. As a result, the unbonded side portion 53 of the protective film 5 that does not adhere to the scintillator 4 adheres to the periphery of the scintillator 4 and lies flat on the flexible film 2 that protrudes from the periphery of the scintillator 4 around its periphery, serving to encapsulate the scintillator 4 in the enclosed space formed by the protective film 5 and the flexible film 2, preventing the scintillator 4 from being scratched and preventing water vapor from invading the scintillator 4, which could affect the image quality.

[0115] See Figure 15 , in step Step400, since the substrate 1 only provides support and flattening for fabricating the scintillator 4 on the flexible film 2 and the substrate 1 cannot be present during the actual use of the detector, it is necessary to separate the flexible film 2 from the substrate 1 before coupling the scintillator 4 with the sensor 6. In the coupling method of this Embodiment 2, through the laser lift-off process (LLO, Laser Lift-off Process), the substrate 1 is separated from the flexible film 2, enabling the substrate 1 and the flexible film 2 to be completely separated without any mechanical external force, avoiding accidents such as deformation and damage of the flexible film 2. After separation, since the flexible film 2 has been flattened and formed by the substrate 1 during the previous fabrication process, it remains in an unfolded flat shape. Moreover, due to the flexible characteristics of the flexible film 2, it can adapt to various forms of sensors 6 or sensor combinations. For example, two spliced and flat sensors 6 can be directly adhered to the flexible film 2. Another example is that if the sizes of the two sensors 6 are different, due to the limitations of the internal structure of the detector during the splicing process, there will be an uneven height when the two sensors 6 are spliced and adhered to the flexible film 2. At this time, the flexible film 2 can adaptively bend at the uneven height, thereby achieving the effect of complete adhesion between the sensor 6 and the flexible film 2, reducing the coupling difficulty, improving the production yield, and not affecting the image quality.

[0116] See Figure 16 , in step Step500, the sensor 6 or sensor combination is spliced on the support layer 7, and then the spliced sensor 6 or sensor combination is bonded to the surface of the flexible film 2 away from the scintillator 4 using an adhesive, thus completing the coupling of the scintillator 4 and the sensor 6. In the direction of the central axis passing through the scintillator 4, the surface area of the sensor 6 or sensor combination is smaller than that of the scintillator 4, and the projection of the sensor 6 or sensor combination is completely covered by the projection of the scintillator 4. The light transmittance of the adhesive used to bond the sensor 6 to the flexible film 2 is 95% - 99%. The high light transmittance of the adhesive can avoid excessive absorption of X-rays during penetration.

[0117] See Figure 17, in Step 600, on the extended plane of the flexible film 2, since the surface area of the flexible film 2 in this Embodiment 2 is larger than the surface area of the sensor 6, the flexible film 2 has a plurality of flexible film edges 24 that protrude from the sensor 6 on the extended plane of the surface of the flexible film 2. Bend these flexible film edges 24 towards the sensor 6 along the arrow direction, so that a narrow border of up to 2 mm is formed around the formed detector, thereby enabling the detector to meet various application fields with high technical requirements such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

[0118] The detector disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can save the overall manufacturing cost of the detector, reduce the overall weight of the detector, and the packaging process of the flexible film and the scintillator is simple and the cost is low. Moreover, the border thickness of the detector is in the range of 1-2 mm, which can meet various detector application fields with high technical requirements such as breast detection and veterinary detection.

[0119] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A coupling method, characterized in that, it includes the following steps: Set a flexible film on a substrate; Set a scintillator on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate; Encapsulate the scintillator and the flexible film together; Separate the flexible film from the substrate; Attach the flexible film to a sensor; The surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the sensor, and the flexible film has multiple edges protruding from the sensor on the surface extension plane of the flexible film; After the step of attaching the flexible film to the sensor, it further includes the following steps: Bend at least one of the edges and attach it to the periphery of the sensor.

2. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the step of setting the flexible film on the substrate, it includes the following steps: Coat a flexible substrate on the substrate; Cure the flexible substrate to form the flexible film.

3. The coupling method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the flexible film is one or more polymer materials.

4. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scintillator is formed by evaporating a scintillator film layer on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate.

5. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the step of setting the scintillator on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate, it includes the following steps: Set a water vapor barrier layer on the surface of the flexible film away from the substrate; Set a scintillator on the surface of the water vapor barrier layer away from the substrate.

6. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the step of encapsulating the scintillator and the flexible film together, it includes the following steps: Make a protective film on the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film; Attach the part of the protective film not in contact with the scintillator to the flexible film together.

7. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible film is separated from the substrate by a laser lift-off process.

8. The coupling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor is bonded to the surface of the flexible film away from the scintillator by an adhesive, and the light transmittance of the adhesive is 95% - 99%.

9. A detector, characterized in that, It includes a scintillator assembly, a flexible film, and a sensor assembly. The flexible film has opposite first and second surfaces. The scintillator assembly is encapsulated on the first surface of the flexible film, and the sensor assembly is attached to the second surface of the flexible film; The surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly is attached to the middle of the flexible film. The flexible film edge protrudes from the sensor assembly on the extension plane of the flexible film. At least one flexible film edge can be bent and attached to the periphery of the sensor assembly.

10. The detector according to claim 9, characterized in that, The scintillator assembly includes a protective film and a scintillator. The scintillator is attached to the first surface of the flexible film, and the protective film covers the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film and encapsulates the scintillator.

11. The detector according to claim 10, wherein, the protective film has a middle part of the protective film, a connecting part of the protective film, and a side part of the protective film. The connecting part of the protective film connects the middle part of the protective film and the side part of the protective film. The flexible film has a middle part of the flexible film and a plurality of flexible film edges, and the plurality of flexible film edges are respectively connected to the outer periphery of the middle part of the flexible film; the scintillator is attached to the middle part of the flexible film, the middle part of the protective film is attached to the surface of the scintillator away from the flexible film, the connecting part of the protective film is attached to the periphery of the scintillator, and the side part of the protective film is attached to the flexible film edge; the surface area of the protective film is larger than the surface area of the flexible film, and the surface area of the flexible film is larger than the surface area of the scintillator.

12. The detector according to claim 10, wherein, the scintillator assembly further has a water vapor barrier layer, and the water vapor barrier layer is disposed between the flexible film and the scintillator.

13. The detector according to claim 9, wherein, the sensor assembly includes a sensor and a support layer. The sensor is attached to the second surface of the flexible film, and the support layer is attached to the surface of the sensor away from the flexible film.

14. The detector according to claim 13, wherein, the number of the sensors is plural, and the plural sensors are attached to the second surface of the flexible film in a tiled manner.

15. The detector according to claim 14, wherein, there is a height difference between two adjacent sensors, and the part of the second surface of the flexible film corresponding to the height difference is bent and deformed to adapt to the height difference.

16. The detector according to claim 14, wherein, the attachment surfaces of each sensor attached to the second surface of the flexible film are flush in the extension direction of the flexible film.

17. The detector according to claim 9, wherein, the sensor assembly and the flexible film are bonded by an adhesive, and the light transmittance of the adhesive is 95% - 99%.

Images