An X-ray scanner based on an "edge-on" illuminated capillary plate combined with a gas amplification structure

We have developed and successfully tested a prototype of a new type of high position resolution X-ray scanner. It contains a thin wall lead glass capillary plate converter of X-rays combined with a microgap parallel-plate avalanche chamber operating in various gas mixtures at 1 atm. The operation of these converters was studied in a wide range of X-ray energies (from 6 to 60 keV) at incident angles varying from 0-90°. The detection efficiency, depending on the geometry, photon\´s energy, incident angle and the mode of operation, was between 5-30% in a single step mode and up to 50% in a multi-layered combination. Depending on the capillary\´s geometry, the position resolution achieved was between 50-250 μm in digital form and was practically independent of the photon\´s energy or gas mixture. The usual lead glass capillary plates operated without noticeable charging up effects at counting rates of 50 Hz/mm², and hydrogen treated capillaries up to 10⁵ Hz/mm². Finally, a prototype of the X-ray scanner based on an "edge-on" illumination capillary plate was built and tested. The developed detector open new possibilities for medical imaging, for example in mammography, portal imaging, radiography (including security\´ devices), crystallography and many other applications.