Optical characterization of a soft X-ray imaging detector based on photoluminescent point defects in lithium fluoride thin layers

The use of LiF thin films and single crystals was proposed and tested as X-ray imaging detector based on optically stimulated luminescence from visible-emitting color centers. The main peculiarities of this detector – i.e. high spatial resolution on a large field of view, wide dynamic range, versatility and simplicity of use – make it very promising as X-ray imaging plate for applications in photonic devices, biology and material science, as well as in the characterization of intense X-ray sources. In order to investigate the response and the sensitivity of this detector to soft X-rays, a suitable characterization of colored thin layers is performed by means of optical spectrophotometry and photoluminescence spectroscopy for samples colored under different irradiation conditions.