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-----The mission of
the Imaging Technology Group is to conceive and develop
innovative, advanced materials, technology and methodology
for demanding applications in medical imaging, the
sciences, security, defense and industry.
-----Our research and
development activities are based upon our fundamental
understanding of the advanced principals of physics,
chemistry and optics, our in-depth knowledge of existing
materials, our experience with both established and
new laboratory instrumentation and techniques, and
our broad, long-term application experience. Our work
is enhanced by our connections and collaborations
with top researchers and developers in healthcare,
academia, science and industry, and our efforts have
resulted in significant advances in high-performance
scintillator materials and forms, sensor modules and
complete detectors including novel scintillators,
optics and photodetectors.
-----Our highly skilled
group members possess advanced degrees and over 200
combined years of experience in physics, chemistry,
optics, biology, imaging, electronics, computer science,
fabrication and manufacturing methodology and other
disciplines.
CsI:Tl, Our Foundation Technology.
Most of the discoveries and accomplishments of our
group have a common genesis in our original 1993 work
with the scintillator material CsI:Tl (thallium-doped
cesium iodide). The majority of our efforts since
then have progressed along a path of continuous invention
and improvement related to our original CsI:Tl technology,
which has led to our development of many technologically
important materials. Recent developments include the
much-anticipated microcolumnar and large-area growth
of LaBr3:Ce (cerium-doped lanthanum bromide)
and the high-brightness ZnSe:Te (tellurium-doped zinc
selenide). Further, we have recently made revolutionary
improvements in CsI:Tl itself, by including the additional
dopant samarium (patents both issued and submitted),
thereby producing CsI:Tl,Sm, a direct substitute for
CsI:Tl, with significantly reduced afterglow and hysteresis,
while retaining CsI:Tl's other well-understood and
desirable properties.
Coherency in Research and Development.
The Imaging Technology Group considers every relevant
aspect and requirement of key anticipated applications
when conceiving, developing or refining a scintillator
material or form or a photodetector design. Understanding
how each element of the radiation and light detection
and recording chain relates to every other element
is recognized as being essential to the successful
production of useful materials and devices. Often
full systems must be considered and even designed
and implemented by our group, as in our design of
complete imaging systems for producing detailed stop-action
radiographs of hypervelocity projectiles moving at
up to 8 kilometers/second (18,000 miles/hour).
-----Our ongoing research
into advanced scintillator materials includes inorganic,
semiconductor, ceramic, plastic, and hybrid scintillators,
and we are constantly developing and refining novel,
advanced forms of these materials for detecting X-rays,
γ-rays, neutrons, alpha particles, beta particles,
protons and their combinations. We typically grow
our materials using approaches beyond conventional,
standard crystal growth techniques, in either crystalline
form (generally best suited to radiation detection,
monitoring and energy-measurement applications) or
microcolumnar form (best suited for imaging applications).
We often pre- and post-process the resulting materials
according to the needs of targeted applications. Scintillators
presently may be small and compact, up to 3 x 3 cm²,
suited to the requirements of applications such as
dentistry, to as large as 50 x 50 cm²,
for large-field imaging such as chest radiography.
Certain applications, such as in-flight missile/projectile
X-ray imaging, require sizable sensors (up to 90 x
90 cm² or larger), which we typically
fabricate by tiling multiple sensors on suitable support
structures. Currently in production and pilot production,
our scintillators typically provide better contrast,
finer resolution, greater brightness, higher sensitivity
and faster performance than the imaging screens and
scintillators traditionally used in radiography and
in radionuclide imaging.
continued
| Material
Processing Methods |
-----In conjunction
with our research into the chemical composition, morphology
and performance of advanced scintillators and related
materials, is our development and refinement of a
wide variety of fabrication and treatment methods
that are essential to and/or enhance the properties
of our scintillators and related or other materials.
continued
-----The Imaging Technology
Group has developed an intimate understanding of the
functionalities, advantages and limitations of existing
photodetectors of every type, from basic PMTs and
simple commercial CMOS and CCD sensors to light-conserving
imaging intensifier tubes, virtually noiseless electron-multiplying
CCDs (EMCCDs) and specialized ultra-fast (150,000
frames per second) CCDs. This understanding is vital
in order to match photodetector characteristics optimally
to the properties of existing and contemplated scintillators
and the demands of intended applications.
-----Hand-in-hand with
our fast-paced improvements in scintillator composition
and fabrication methodology, the Imaging Technology
Group has worked internally and with outside groups
and vendors to define and develop photodetectors capable
of taking the best advantage technologically possible
of the rapidly improving resolution, light output,
speed and other factors of our remarkable scintillator
materials.
-----Detectors that
we have developed are based on a variety of technologies,
including advanced electron multiplying charge coupled
devices (EMCCDs), very large format CCDs, CMOS sensors,
amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) large area flat panel arrays,
and ultra-high-speed imagers.
continued
-----The Imaging Technology
Group has developed a detailed understanding of the
radiation detection and measurement requirements and
required imaging operations of a diverse range of
straightforward to complex applications and devices.
Using this awareness and understanding of individual
applications and devices, our group designs scintillators
and photodetectors appropriately and optimally matched
to the particular needs of specific applications/devices
and to each other.
continued
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