Porous Silicon Collimators for UV and Visible Light Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current collimators for X-ray, gamma-ray, and charged particle detection face challenges in achieving effective UV and visible light blocking without compromising X-ray and particle transmission, particularly in NASA applications where mechanical stability and weight are critical, and existing fabrication methods are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
The development of charged particle, X-ray, and thermal neutron collimators using three-dimensionally structured silicon templates coated with high atomic number materials and dielectric coatings, fabricated through electrochemical etching and additive manufacturing, to achieve improved UV, visible, and microwave blocking while maintaining mechanical stability and low weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If lead-glass microchannel plate collimators are used, then mechanical stability is achieved, but UV and visible light blocking is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses composite structures combining low-Z materials (silicon, plastic) with high-Z coating materials (gold, platinum, tungsten) to achieve both mechanical stability and superior UV/visible light blocking. The porous silicon or plastic substrate provides structural integrity while the conformal high-Z coatings provide the required photon blocking capability across multiple wavelengths.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs porous silicon or porous plastic substrates with controlled pore sizes and distributions. These porous materials provide mechanical stability while allowing conformal deposition of high-Z coating materials on the pore walls, achieving effective UV and visible light blocking without compromising the structural integrity of the collimator.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If micromachinned collimators with high thickness are fabricated, then off-axis source blocking is improved, but fabrication complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces complex mechanical fabrication processes (X-ray lithography, laser machining, special photoresist dispensing) with electrochemical etching and conformal coating processes. This substitution achieves the required off-axis source blocking through controlled pore geometry and coating thickness rather than through complex mechanical structuring.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention achieves improved off-axis source blocking by changing parameters such as pore size, pore distribution, coating material composition, and coating thickness through electrochemical etching and conformal deposition processes, rather than requiring complex high-thickness structures from traditional micromachining.
3Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used for collimator fabrication, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but feature size resolution is too large for effective UV-visible blocking
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses porous silicon or porous plastic substrates with precisely controlled pore sizes (achieved through electrochemical etching) that provide the fine feature resolution needed for UV-visible blocking. The porous structure allows conformal coating of high-Z materials on pore walls, achieving effective photon blocking without requiring the large feature sizes inherent in additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention achieves the required manufacturing precision for UV-visible blocking by controlling parameters such as pore diameter, pore spacing, and coating thickness through electrochemical etching and conformal deposition processes, maintaining cost-effectiveness while achieving feature resolutions unsuitable for traditional additive manufacturing.
4Quantity of substance
If conventional collimators are designed, then X-ray transmission is achieved, but scattered radiation and off-axis radiation transmission remain high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by conformally coating high-Z materials specifically on the pore walls rather than throughout the entire structure. This localized application of blocking material effectively reduces scattered radiation and off-axis radiation transmission while preserving X-ray transmission through the pore channels, achieving differential radiation filtering based on local structural properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These collimators provide enhanced blocking capabilities for UV, visible, and microwave radiation while maintaining high transmission efficiency for X-rays and charged particles, offering improved mechanical stability, cost-effectiveness, and suitability for a wide range of energy levels, from low energy charged particles to high energy applications.
Implementation Method 1
at least one layer of another material deposited on the pore walls, with properties and thicknesses chosen such as the structure possess desired Vacuum ultra violet (VUV), ultra violet (UV), visible (VIS), infrared (IR), terahertz (THz) and/or microwave photon blocking
Implementation Method 2
conformal coating of dielectric coating to suppress UV and/or visible radiation
Implementation Method 3
three-dimensionally structured silicon templates conformally coated by high atomic number material... The collimators permit minimization of transmission of scattered radiation as well as the radiation from off-axis sources, thus maximizing the sensitivity of the detectors to the useful signals
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to charged particle, X-ray, gamma ray and or thermal neutron collimators with improved UV, visible and IR blocking on the basis of micro structured semiconductor and method of making the same. In more detail, the present invention is related to three-dimensionally microstructured charged particle, X-ray, gamma ray and or thermal neutron collimators. The collimators of the present invention will improve the performance of telescopes, radiology equipment, nondestructive evaluation equipment and proton therapy equipment.