Radiation Detecting Element With Refractive Index Continuity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The bonding of scintillators and reinforcing members using adhesives in radiation detecting systems leads to scattering and reflection issues, resulting in blurred images and deteriorated resolution due to refractive index differences at interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A radiation detecting element comprising a substrate transparent to visible light and a thinner fluorescent screen with a dopant, bonded via solid-state diffusion to maintain refractive index continuity, reducing scattering and reflection, and equipped with an imaging optical system and photoelectric conversion elements for improved image formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If a scintillator and a reinforcing member are bonded by using an adhesive, then the scintillator can be made thin while maintaining strength, but scattering and reflection occur at interfaces due to refractive index differences, resulting in blurred images and deteriorated resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by making the fluorescent screen and substrate from the same material (e.g., both YAG-based), ensuring continuous refractive index throughout the bonding interface. This eliminates the scattering and reflection problems that occur when different materials with different refractive indices are bonded together, while still allowing the fluorescent screen to be made thin for high-resolution imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by creating a fluorescent screen that is a doped version of the substrate material. The fluorescent screen contains a dopant (such as Ce, Tl, or Mn) added to the YAG material, making it a composite that maintains optical continuity with the substrate while providing fluorescence conversion functionality. This resolves the contradiction between thinning the scintillator and maintaining image resolution.
2Manufacturing precision
If a fluorescent screen is made thinner to improve resolution, then image quality improves, but the fluorescent screen becomes more fragile and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fluorescent screen and substrate into a single bonded structure where the fluorescent screen is directly bonded to the substrate without separate mounting hardware. This integration provides mechanical support from the substrate to the thin fluorescent screen, enabling high-resolution imaging while maintaining structural integrity and ease of handling.
Solution Approach 2:
By making the fluorescent screen and substrate from the same base material, the patent creates a homogeneous structure that bonds seamlessly. This material homogeneity ensures both optical continuity (for resolution) and mechanical continuity (for strength), allowing the fluorescent screen to be made thin without becoming excessively fragile.
3Ease of manufacture
If adhesive bonding is used to join the scintillator and reinforcing member, then assembly is simplified, but additional interfaces are created that cause scattering and reflection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fluorescent screen and substrate materials into a compatible pair that can be bonded with minimal interface issues. By selecting the same base material for both components, the bonding interface becomes optically continuous, eliminating the scattering and reflection problems that would otherwise be generated by adhesive bonding between dissimilar materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of homogeneous materials (same base material for fluorescent screen and substrate) ensures that any bonding interface created during manufacturing does not introduce refractive index discontinuities. This maintains optical quality while still allowing for practical assembly and manufacturing processes.
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
This configuration enhances spatial resolution and sensitivity by preventing refractive index discontinuities, leading to clearer images and increased detection efficiency without the need for additional components like mirrors, while allowing for a more compact and cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
a fluorescent screen that emits fluorescence in response to radiation by a dopant added to a material that is the same as a material of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
the substrate and the fluorescent screen are bonded while maintaining continuity of a refractive index
Implementation Method 3
a photoelectric conversion element on which photoelectric conversion pixels that perform photoelectric conversion on fluorescence an image of which has been formed are disposed two-dimensionally
Data Source
AI summary
When a scintillator and a reinforcing member are bonded by using an adhesive, scattering and reflection occur at interfaces between the scintillator and the adhesive and between the adhesive and the reinforcing member. Due to this, a blurred image is formed on a sensor, and the resolution deteriorates. A radiation detecting element comprises: a substrate transparent to visible light; and a fluorescent screen that emits fluorescence in response to radiation by a dopant added to a material that is the same as a material of the substrate, wherein the fluorescent screen is thinner than the substrate, and the substrate and the fluorescent screen are bonded while maintaining continuity of a refractive index.