Performance of an X-ray imaging detector based on a structured scintillator

Structured scintillator plates have been fabricated by filling thallium-doped caesium iodide (CsI) into a silicon pore array. Their X-ray imaging properties have been characterized using a standard dental X-ray source and a charge coupled device (CCD) detector. Results indicate that finer structured pore arrays provide superior imaging resolution while their light output is lower. Direct absorption of X-ray quanta in the CCD is a significant contributor of detector noise. This can be avoided by using a thick fibre optic plate or, in certain cases, by using a hot-pixel software algorithm.