Scintillator array and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a scintillator array. The preparation method comprises the following steps: preparing reflective glue and a plurality of scintillation crystal strips; the splicing face of each scintillation crystal strip is coated with reflective glue and cured, so that a prefabricated reflective layer is formed on the splicing faces of the scintillation crystal strips; arranging a plurality of scintillation crystal strips in an array, and bonding the prefabricated reflective layers of any two adjacent scintillation crystal strips together through reflective glue; and then curing is carried out. The preparation method comprises the following steps: firstly, forming prefabricated reflective layers on splicing surfaces of scintillation crystal strips, then bonding the prefabricated reflective layers of the plurality of scintillation crystal strips together pairwise through reflective glue, and forming a reflective layer after the reflective glue is cured so as to complete the preparation of the scintillator array. The prefabricated reflective layer is formed on the splicing surface of the scintillation crystal strip, so that the thickness of the reflective glue coated at a time is reduced, bubbles in the reflective glue are reduced, the cracking probability of the reflective layer is reduced, and the performance of the scintillator array is improved. The invention also discloses a scintillator array.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of radiation measurement component preparation, and particularly relates to a scintillator array and a preparation method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The scintillator plays a very important role in radiation detection and is widely used in the fields of image nuclear medicine, nuclear physics, high-energy physics and the like. In the field of nuclear medicine, the scintillator is usually processed into a small-sized pixelated array, which can effectively limit the scattering of scintillation light, reduce the light cross talk between pixels, and thus improve the spatial resolution of imaging.

[0003] The existing scintillator array manufacturing is usually to cut a scintillator crystal bar into multiple crystal bars, polish the six surfaces of the crystal bars, and then use a reflective adhesive to bond the crystal bars, so as to form a scintillator array after solidification. The reflective adhesive layer between adjacent crystal bars in the scintillator array is a reflective layer. If the thickness of the reflective layer is required to be large, more reflective adhesive needs to be coated on the side surface of the crystal bar during bonding. However, this will cause more air bubbles in the reflective adhesive, which will lead to cracking of the reflective layer after solidification of the reflective adhesive, i.e., the reflective layer is prone to cracking, affecting the performance of the scintillator array. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is that, in the existing scintillator manufacturing process, if the thickness of the reflective layer is large, more reflective adhesive needs to be coated during bonding, and the reflective layer is prone to cracking after solidification, affecting the performance of the scintillator array. To solve this technical problem, a scintillator array and a preparation method thereof are provided, which can reduce the air bubbles in the reflective adhesive and reduce the probability of cracking of the reflective layer.

[0005] The technical solution provided by the present application is as follows: A scintillator array preparation method comprises the following steps: S110, preparing reflective adhesive and multiple scintillator crystal bars; S120, coating the reflective adhesive on the splicing surface of each scintillator crystal bar and performing solidification to form a prefabricated reflective layer on the splicing surface of the scintillator crystal bar; S130, arranging the multiple scintillator crystal bars in an array, and bonding the prefabricated reflective layers of any two adjacent scintillator crystal bars together through the reflective adhesive; S140, solidifying the product of step S130.

[0006] The preparation method of the scintillator array is adopted, the pre-prepared reflective layer is formed on the splicing surface of the scintillator crystal bar, and then the pre-prepared reflective layers of the plurality of scintillator crystal bars are bonded together by the reflective glue, and the reflective layer is formed after the reflective glue is cured, so as to complete the preparation of the scintillator array. Since the pre-prepared reflective layer is formed on the splicing surface of the scintillator crystal bar, the thickness of the reflective glue coated at one time is reduced, the bubbles in the reflective glue are reduced, and thus the cracking probability of the reflective layer is reduced, and the performance of the scintillator array is improved.

[0007] Further, the step S120 comprises: S121, fixing and exposing the splicing surface of the scintillator crystal bar; S122, coating the reflective glue on the splicing surface; S123, performing glue scraping treatment by using a scraper; S124, curing the reflective glue to form the pre-prepared reflective layer on the splicing surface.

[0008] Further, the step S120 further comprises: S125, repeating the steps S121-S124 until the pre-prepared reflective layer is formed on all the splicing surfaces of the scintillator crystal bar.

[0009] Further, the step S130 comprises: S131, arranging the plurality of scintillator crystal bars in an array on the adsorption platform and adsorbing and fixing by the adsorption platform to form an array structure; S132, bonding the silica gel tape on the outer side of the array structure to form an inner cavity accommodating the array structure; S133, pouring the reflective glue into the inner cavity; In the step S131, the two pre-prepared reflective layers of any two adjacent scintillator crystal bars are arranged in a spaced manner.

[0010] Further, the step S131 comprises: S131a, coating the release agent on the adsorption platform; S131b, arranging the plurality of scintillator crystal bars in an array on the adsorption platform; S131c, inserting the positioning sheet between all the adjacent two scintillator crystal bars and making the opposite sides of the positioning sheet abut against the pre-prepared reflective layer; S131d, adsorbing and fixing the scintillator crystal bar by the adsorption platform; S131e, taking out the positioning sheet.

[0011] Further, in the step S131c, the positioning sheet comprises a plurality of positioning sheets and is divided into two groups, the plurality of positioning sheets in one group are arranged in a spaced manner along the transverse direction of the array, and the plurality of positioning sheets in the other group are arranged in a spaced manner along the longitudinal direction of the array.

[0012] Further, step S140 includes: S141, Vacuum degassing is performed on the product from step S130; S142, Curing the product after vacuum degassing.

[0013] Further, in step S141, the vacuum degassing pressure is -10~-100kPa and the time is 60~100s; in step S142, the curing temperature is 65~85℃ and the time is 40~60min.

[0014] Furthermore, in step S110, the reflective adhesive comprises PVA glue and barium sulfate.

[0015] A scintillator array, fabricated using the aforementioned scintillator array fabrication method.

[0016] In summary, the scintillator array and its fabrication method provided in this application have at least the following advantages: 1. First, a pre-fabricated reflective layer is formed on the splicing surface of the scintillator strips. Then, the pre-fabricated reflective layers are bonded together, which reduces the thickness of a single coating, reduces air bubbles in the reflective adhesive, reduces the probability of cracking of the reflective layer after curing, and improves the performance of the scintillator array. 2. By clamping the scintillator strips with a fixture and then applying and scraping the adhesive, the thickness of the pre-fabricated reflective layer can be ensured to meet the requirements, thereby improving the fabrication accuracy of the scintillator array. 3. The adhesive layer is formed by potting glue, which is highly efficient. Moreover, the potting operation can be carried out in multiple times, further reducing air bubbles in the reflective adhesive and lowering the probability of cracking of the reflective layer. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain this application and do not constitute a limitation thereof.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of a scintillator array fabrication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial structural schematic diagram of the fabricated scintillator array; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture in step S120; Figure 4 for Figure 3 The diagram shows the exploded structure of the fixture. Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of different processes in step S130.

[0019] Label Explanation: 10, scintillation crystal bar; 20, pre-prepared reflective layer; 30, adhesive layer; 110, base plate; 120, mounting frame; 131, first pressing rod; 132, second pressing rod; 141, first clamping block; 142, second clamping block; 143, glue coating groove; 210, adsorption platform; 220, positioning sheet; 230, silica gel tape. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more apparent, specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be practiced in a variety of ways other than those described herein without departing from the spirit of the present application, and it is understood that similar modifications can be made by those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing description. Therefore, it is not intended to limit the present application to the following specific embodiments disclosed in the following description.

[0021] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0022] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0023] In the present application, unless otherwise specifically defined and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise specifically defined. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] In the present application, unless specifically stated and limited otherwise, a first feature "on" or "under" a second feature can be directly in contact with the second feature, or indirectly in contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "over", "above" and "on top of" the second feature can be directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in horizontal level than the second feature. The first feature "under", "below" and "underneath" the second feature can be directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in horizontal level than the second feature.

[0025] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there can be an intermediate element. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation.

[0026] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a scintillator array preparation method, which can be used for the preparation of a scintillator array. It should be noted that the structure of the scintillator array in the present application is well known to those skilled in the art, and the terms such as the reflection layer and the light exit surface in the scintillator array are also well known structures to those skilled in the art, which will not be described herein.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment, the scintillator array preparation method comprises the steps of: S110, preparing a reflective adhesive and a plurality of scintillator bars 10; S120, coating the reflective adhesive on the splicing surface of each scintillator bar 10 and curing to form a prefabricated reflective layer 20 on the splicing surface; S130, arraying the plurality of scintillator bars 10, and bonding the prefabricated reflective layers 20 of any two adjacent scintillator bars 10 together through the reflective adhesive; S140, curing the product of step S130 to prepare a scintillator array.

[0028] It should be explained that the preparation of the scintillator bar 10 described above can be cutting a scintillator block to form, and the reflective adhesive is used to bond the scintillator bars 10 together and form a reflective layer between the scintillator bars 10. In addition, the splicing surface described above is the surface of the two adjacent scintillator bars 10 facing each other in the scintillator array, for example, the four side surfaces of the scintillator bar 10 located in the interior of the array are all splicing surfaces; the three side surfaces of the scintillator bar 10 located at the middle position of the edge are splicing surfaces opposite to other scintillator bars 10; the two side surfaces of the scintillator bar 10 located at the corner of the edge are splicing surfaces opposite to other scintillator bars 10.

[0029] In combination Figure 2 It should be further explained that in the step S130, the reflective adhesive forms the adhesive layer 30 to bond the two pre-reflective layers 20 of the scintillation crystal bars 10 together, i.e., to bond the two scintillation crystal bars 10 together. At this time, the two scintillation crystal bars 10 are filled with the reflective adhesive (the adhesive layer 30 and the two pre-reflective layers 20), and after curing, a reflective layer is formed, the thickness of which is the sum of the thicknesses of the two pre-reflective layers 20 and the adhesive layer 30. Therefore, when forming the pre-reflective layer 20, the thickness of the pre-reflective layer 20 can be determined according to the required thickness of the reflective layer. Alternatively, the thickness of the pre-reflective layer 20 is 1 / 4 to 2 / 5 of the thickness of the reflective layer, and can be 1 / 4, 1 / 3, 2 / 5, etc. In this way, the thickness of the pre-reflective layer 20 and the thickness of the adhesive layer 30 can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of reflective adhesive coated at one time and reducing the air bubbles to reduce the cracking probability.

[0030] It should be further explained that air is easily mixed into the reflective adhesive during the coating process, so after the coating is completed, vacuum debubbling is usually required. If the thickness coated at one time is large, i.e., more reflective adhesive is coated at one time, more air bubbles will be mixed into the reflective adhesive, and it will be more difficult to remove the air bubbles. After vacuum debubbling, there will still be many air bubbles remaining in the reflective adhesive, so that the reflective layer formed after subsequent curing is prone to cracking, affecting the performance of the scintillator array. If the thickness coated at one time is small, there are fewer air bubbles in the reflective adhesive, and it is easier to remove the air bubbles, thereby improving the effect of vacuum debubbling, reducing the cracking probability of the reflective layer, and improving the performance of the scintillator array.

[0031] By using the above scintillator array preparation method, the pre-reflective layer 20 is first formed on the joint surface of the scintillation crystal bar 10, and then the pre-reflective layers 20 of the plurality of scintillation crystal bars 10 are bonded together two by two by the reflective adhesive, and after the reflective adhesive is cured, a reflective layer is formed to complete the preparation of the scintillator array. Since the pre-reflective layer 20 is first formed on the joint surface of the scintillation crystal bar 10, the thickness of the reflective adhesive coated at one time is reduced, and the air bubbles in the reflective adhesive are reduced, thereby reducing the cracking probability of the reflective layer and improving the performance of the scintillator array.

[0032] As an example, in the step S110, the components of the reflective adhesive include PVA glue and barium sulfate to reduce the manufacturing cost while ensuring the reflective performance.

[0033] As an example, the step S120 includes: S121, fixing the scintillation crystal bar 10 and exposing the joint surface.

[0034] Specifically, as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the scintillation crystal bar 10 can be clamped and fixed by the clamp, and then the exposed top surface (i.e. one of the joint surfaces) of the scintillation crystal bar 10 is coated with the reflective glue.

[0035] The clamp includes a bottom plate 110, a mounting frame 120, a first pressing rod 131, a second pressing rod 132, a first clamping block 141, and a second clamping block 142. The mounting frame 120 is fixedly arranged on the bottom plate 110. The first pressing rod 131 and the second pressing rod 132 are respectively connected to the mounting frame 120 in a reciprocating manner along the axial direction of the first pressing rod 131 and the second pressing rod 132, and the moving directions of the first pressing rod 131 and the second pressing rod 132 are perpendicular to each other. The first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 can be placed in the mounting frame 120. During the movement, the first pressing rod 131 and the second pressing rod 132 can press the first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 tightly against the mounting frame 120, so that the first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 clamp the scintillation crystal bar 10. In this way, the first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 clamp the scintillation crystal bar 10, which can increase the contact area with the scintillation crystal bar 10, and avoid damaging the scintillation crystal bar 10.

[0036] S122, coating the reflective glue on the joint surface.

[0037] S123, performing glue scraping treatment by using a scraper to remove the excess glue and ensure the flatness of the surface of the reflective glue, and the thickness of the reflective glue can also be controlled, i.e. the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 is controlled. In addition, the scraper can be combined with the positioning protrusion to control the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20. Figure 3 and 4 It should be noted that after the first pressing rod 131 and the second pressing rod 132 press the first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 tightly against the mounting frame 120, the first clamping block 141 and the second clamping block 142 can form a glue coating groove 143, and the scintillation crystal bar 10 is clamped in the glue coating groove 143. At the same time, the positioning protrusion can be arranged on the inner wall of the glue coating groove 143, the bottom surface of the scintillation crystal bar 10 is supported on the positioning protrusion, and the top surface of the scintillation crystal bar 10 is lower than the height of the opening at the top of the glue coating groove 143, and the height difference between the two is equal to the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20. In this way, the height of the glue coating can be ensured to be equal to the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 by cooperating with the scraper.

[0038] S124, curing the reflective glue to form the prefabricated reflective layer 20 on the joint surface.

[0039] Specifically, the above-mentioned clamp can be placed in an oven for drying and curing, or a fan can be used for blowing and drying.

[0040] Further, S120 further comprises: S125, for the plurality of splicing surfaces of the scintillation crystal bar 10, the above-mentioned operations can be repeated, that is, steps S121 to S124 are repeated until the prefabricated reflective layer 20 is formed on all splicing surfaces of the scintillation crystal bar 10. In addition, after the preparation of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 on the scintillation crystal bar 10 is completed, the surfaces of the scintillation crystal bar 10 except the splicing surfaces and the light-emitting surface can be cleaned with pure water and a dust-free cloth to facilitate subsequent use.

[0041] After the preparation of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 on all scintillation crystal bars 10 is completed, step S130 is entered, and step S130 comprises: S131, arraying a plurality of scintillation crystal bars 10 on the adsorption platform 210 and adsorbing and fixing through the adsorption platform 210 to form an array structure. As can be known from the above description, the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 is less than half of the thickness of the reflective layer, so after the array structure is formed, the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 facing each other in any two adjacent scintillation crystal bars 10 are arranged at intervals, that is, there is a gap between the two, to ensure that the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 are bonded by reflective adhesive later.

[0042] Specifically, step S131 comprises: Please refer to Figure 5 S131a, applying a release agent on the adsorption platform 210 to facilitate the subsequent dismounting of the scintillator array from the adsorption platform 210. In addition, the release agent is a conventional technology, and those skilled in the art can select a suitable release agent according to the actual situation, which will not be described here.

[0043] S131b, arraying a plurality of scintillation crystal bars 10 on the adsorption platform 210.

[0044] S131c, inserting a positioning sheet 220 between all adjacent scintillation crystal bars 10 and making the opposite sides of the positioning sheet 220 abut against the prefabricated reflective layers 20. It can be determined that the positioning sheet 220 is inserted between the adjacent two scintillation crystal bars 10, so the opposite sides of the positioning sheet 220 abut against the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 facing each other on the adjacent two scintillation crystal bars 10 to adjust the spacing between the scintillation crystal bars 10 through the positioning sheet 220. In addition, as can be known from the above description, the sum of the thicknesses of the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 plus the thickness of the positioning sheet 220 is equal to the thickness of the reflective layer.

[0045] In actual application, the number of the positioning sheets 220 is multiple, and the multiple positioning sheets 220 are divided into two groups; the multiple positioning sheets 220 in one group are arranged along the lateral direction of the array, and the multiple positioning sheets 220 in the other group are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the array. In other words, the multiple scintillation crystal bars 10 arranged in the array are divided into multiple columns in the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction, the multiple positioning sheets 220 arranged in the lateral direction are arranged alternately with the multiple columns of scintillation crystal bars 10 in the lateral direction, and the multiple positioning sheets 220 arranged in the longitudinal direction are arranged alternately with the multiple columns of scintillation crystal bars 10 in the longitudinal direction. It should be noted that the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction are two array directions of the array, and one of the two array directions can be defined as the lateral direction, and the other array direction is the longitudinal direction, which is not limited herein.

[0046] After the positions of the scintillation crystal bars 10 are fixed, step S131d is performed.

[0047] In step S131b, each scintillation crystal bar 10 corresponds to one adsorption hole on the adsorption platform 210. In step S131c, the positions of the scintillation crystal bars 10 are adjusted slightly, but the adjustment distance is small, and the scintillation crystal bars 10 are not misaligned with the adsorption holes. Therefore, after the positions of the scintillation crystal bars 10 are adjusted, the scintillation crystal bars 10 can be adsorbed and fixed by the adsorption platform 210.

[0048] In step S131e, the positioning sheets 220 are removed, so that the multiple scintillation crystal bars 10 arranged in the array are arranged uniformly in the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction of the array.

[0049] It can be understood that, after the scintillation crystal bars 10 are clamped by the clamp and the glue is scraped, the manufacturing precision of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 can be improved, and the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 can meet the requirements. Then, when the prefabricated reflective layer 20 cooperates with the positioning sheet 220, the thickness of the reflective layer between the two adjacent scintillation crystal bars 10 can meet the requirements, and the manufacturing precision of the scintillator array can be improved.

[0050] After the array structure is formed, step S132 is performed.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 6 In step S132, the silicone adhesive tape 230 is bonded to the outer side of the array structure, so that the silicone adhesive tape 230 forms an inner cavity for accommodating the array structure. It should be noted that the silicone adhesive tape 230 needs to completely enclose the four side surfaces of the array structure.

[0052] In step S133, the reflective glue is poured into the inner cavity. The reflective glue with fluidity can enter the gap of the array structure, so as to form the bonding layer 30 between the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 facing each other, and the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 facing each other are bonded together.

[0053] After the glue filling is completed, step S140 is performed, and step S140 comprises: S141, vacuum defoaming is performed on the product of step S130. The entire adsorption platform 210 can be placed in a vacuum chamber for vacuum defoaming. Specifically, the pressure of vacuum defoaming is -10~-100 kPa, and the time is 60~100 s.

[0054] It should be noted that the glue filling operation and the vacuum defoaming operation described above can be performed in multiple times; for example, a little reflective glue is poured each time and vacuum defoaming is performed once, and then the operation is repeated until the reflective glue fills the inner cavity and the vacuum defoaming of the reflective glue is completed. In this way, the air bubbles remaining in the reflective glue can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, it can be understood that if the operation is performed in sections, the time of vacuum defoaming can be correspondingly shortened, for example, the operation is performed five times, and the time of vacuum defoaming is adjusted to 10-20 s each time.

[0055] It should be further noted that for the above step S120, the clamp can be placed in a vacuum chamber for vacuum defoaming operation before step S124 is performed. Of course, if the thickness of the prefabricated reflective layer 20 is less than the thickness of the adhesive layer 30, the vacuum defoaming operation can also not be performed.

[0056] After the vacuum defoaming is completed, step S142 is performed.

[0057] Step S142, curing the product after vacuum defoaming to solidify the reflective glue poured into the inner cavity, so as to form a reflective layer between the two adjacent scintillation crystal bars 10. At the same time, the operation can be placing the entire adsorption platform 210 in an oven for drying, or a fan can also be used for drying. Specifically, taking the oven as an example, the curing temperature is 65~85℃, and the curing time is 40~60 min.

[0058] After the curing is completed, step S143 is continued to be performed.

[0059] S143, the adsorption platform 210 is broken vacuum and the silica gel tape 230 on the outer side of the glass array structure, so as to complete the preparation of the scintillator array.

[0060] It should be noted that in the above embodiment, the two prefabricated reflective layers 20 are connected together by the operation of glue filling, and in other embodiments, all the scintillation crystal bars 10 can also be bonded together to form a scintillator array by manual glue coating and bonding. Of course, the operation of glue filling is preferred to improve the operation efficiency.

[0061] In one embodiment, the scintillator array preparation method further comprises a step of: S150, processing the light emitting surface of the scintillator array.

[0062] Specifically, the step S150 comprises: S151, removing the original reflective layer at the end of the light exit surface of the scintillator array to form a groove; S152, preparing a waterproof adhesive and applying the waterproof adhesive in the groove; S153, curing the waterproof adhesive to form a waterproof reflective layer; and S154, polishing the light exit surface of the scintillator array. In the step S154, the polishing thickness is less than the depth of the groove in the step S151.

[0063] It should be explained that in the step S151, the original reflective layer is the reflective layer between adjacent scintillator bars 10 after the preparation of the scintillator array. After removing the original reflective layer at the end of the light exit surface, a groove is formed between the adjacent scintillator bars 10. In the step S152, the preparation of the waterproof adhesive can be performed before or simultaneously with the step S151, which is not limited herein. In addition, the polishing thickness is less than the depth of the groove, i.e., the polishing thickness is less than the thickness of the waterproof reflective layer, which can avoid removing the cured waterproof reflective layer, thereby avoiding the liquid entering the original reflective layer during the polishing process as much as possible, and further avoiding the original reflective layer falling off to affect the product performance. Preferably, the waterproof adhesive comprises optical silicone and reflective particles.

[0064] In practical applications, the original reflective layer at the end of the light exit surface can be removed by immersing it in the cleaning liquid of an ultrasonic cleaning machine with an immersion depth of 0.2-1 mm.

[0065] Based on the above scintillator array preparation method, the application further provides a scintillator array prepared by the scintillator array preparation method in the above embodiments.

[0066] In order to reflect the advantages of the scintillator array preparation method in the above embodiments compared with the preparation method of the scintillator array in the prior art, the embodiments and comparative examples are provided herein for verification: In the embodiments, the scintillator array is prepared by the above scintillator array preparation method, and the prepared scintillator array has fewer bubbles in the reflective layer and does not have cracking problem. In the comparative examples, the prepared scintillator array is directly bonded by the existing glue pouring method, and the prepared scintillator array has many bubbles in the reflective layer and has a serious cracking problem.

[0067] In summary, the scintillator array and the preparation method thereof provided by the application have at least the following advantages: 1. The prefabricated reflective layer 20 is first formed on the joint surface of the scintillator bar 10, and then the prefabricated reflective layer 20 is bonded together, which reduces the thickness of single glue coating, reduces the bubbles in the reflective glue, reduces the cracking probability of the reflective layer after curing, and improves the performance of the scintillator array; 2、Through clamping the scintillation crystal bar 10 by the clamp, then gluing and scraping, the thickness of the formed prefabricated reflective layer 20 can meet the requirements, and the preparation precision of the scintillator array is improved; 3、The adhesive layer 30 is formed by the glue pouring mode, the efficiency is higher, and the glue pouring operation can be performed in multiple times, further reducing the bubbles in the reflective glue and reducing the cracking probability of the reflective layer.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made thereto without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a scintillator array, characterized in that, include: S110, used to prepare reflective adhesive and multiple scintillation crystal strips; S120, apply reflective adhesive to the splicing surface of each scintillation crystal strip and cure it to form a pre-made reflective layer on the splicing surface of the scintillation crystal strip; S130, multiple scintillating crystal strips are arranged in an array, and the pre-fabricated reflective layer of any two adjacent scintillating crystal strips is bonded together by reflective adhesive; S140, the product from step S130 is cured.

2. The method for fabricating a scintillator array according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S120 includes: S121, fix the scintillation strip and expose the splicing surface; S122, Reflective adhesive is applied to the splicing surface; S123, use a scraper to scrape off the adhesive; S124, cures the reflective adhesive to form a pre-reflective layer on the splicing surface.

3. The method for preparing a scintillator array according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step S120 also includes: S125, repeat steps S121~S124 until a pre-made reflective layer is formed on all splicing surfaces of the scintillation crystal strip.

4. The method for preparing a scintillator array according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S130 includes: S131, multiple scintillation crystal strips are arranged in an array on an adsorption platform and fixed by adsorption through the adsorption platform to form an array structure; S132, a silicone tape is bonded to the outer side of the array structure so that the silicone tape encloses and forms an inner cavity to accommodate the array structure; S133, pour reflective adhesive into the inner cavity; In step S131, two pre-fabricated reflective layers facing each other are spaced apart in any two adjacent scintillation crystal strips.

5. The method for preparing a scintillator array according to claim 4, characterized in that, Step S131 includes: S131a, the release agent is coated on the adsorption platform; S131b, multiple scintillation crystal strips are arranged in an array on the adsorption platform; S131c, a positioning piece is inserted between all two adjacent scintillation strips, and the opposite sides of the positioning piece are in contact with the pre-fabricated reflective layer. S131d, the scintillation crystal strips are adsorbed and fixed by an adsorption platform; S131e, Remove the positioning piece.

6. The method for fabricating a scintillator array according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S131c, the positioning pieces include multiple pieces and are divided into two groups. In one group, the multiple positioning pieces are arranged at intervals along the horizontal direction of the array, while in the other group, the multiple positioning pieces are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction of the array.

7. The method for fabricating a scintillator array according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S140 includes: S141, Vacuum degassing is performed on the product from step S130; S142, Curing the product after vacuum degassing.

8. The method for fabricating a scintillator array according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S141, the vacuum degassing pressure is -10~-100kPa and the time is 60~100s; in step S142, the curing temperature is 65~85℃ and the time is 40~60min.

9. The method for fabricating a scintillator array according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S110, the reflective adhesive consists of PVA glue and barium sulfate.

10. A scintillator array, characterized in that, It is fabricated using the scintillator array fabrication method according to any one of claims 1-9.

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