Preparation and Performance of Gadolinium Sulfoxide X-Ray Scintillation Screens Based on Silicon Microchannels

doi:10.16553/j.cnki.issn1000-985x.2025.0196

Abstract

Abstract: Gadolinium oxysulfide （GOS） scintillation crystals occupy an irreplaceable position in fields such as non-destructive testing and industrial flaw detection，primarily due to their high responsiveness to high-energy X-rays. Commercially available GOS X-ray scintillation screens typically feature a bulk ceramic structure. However，their resolution is generally low （less than 5 lp/mm） due to the issue of lateral optical crosstalk. In this study，silicon microchannel arrays with periods of 6，10 and 25 μm were fabricated using processes including photolithography，inductively coupled plasma （ICP） etching，and photo-assisted electrochemical etching. Subsequently，GOS X-ray scintillation screens based on these silicon microchannels were successfully prepared via a filling method that combines ultraviolet adhesive and GOS powder. An X-ray testing system was constructed to measure the effect of tube voltage on the brightness of the scintillation screens. The edge spread function （ESF） of the edge images was fitted using MATLAB software to derive the modulation transfer function （MTF），and the spatial resolution of the scintillation screens was further calculated from the MTF. Experimental results indicate that the brightness of the scintillation screens increases with the increase in tube voltage. Specifically，scintillation screens with larger periods exhibit higher brightness，while those with smaller periods demonstrate higher resolution. The resolution values are 18.1，16.8，and 12.0 lp/mm for the screens with periods of 6，10，and 25 μm，respectively.

Key words: X-ray scintillation screen; gadolinium sulfoxide; silicon microchannel; period; brightness; resolution

CLC Number:

TN911.73

GUO Dingyi, WANG Guozheng, CHAI Yujia, ZHANG Guangyin, WANG Ji, YANG Jikai, HAO Ziheng, LUO Yang. Preparation and Performance of Gadolinium Sulfoxide X-Ray Scintillation Screens Based on Silicon Microchannels[J]. Journal of Synthetic Crystals, 2026, 55(2): 211-216.

Figures/Tables 9

Fig.1 Photograph of silicon microchannel array

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of GOS filling in silicon microchannels. （a） Before filling in；（b） after filling in

Fig.3 Scintillation screen after filling in. （a） 6 μm period；（b） 10 μm period；（c） 25 μm period；（d） photograph of scintillation screen

Fig.4 X-ray testing system

Fig.5 Grayscale images under different X-ray tube voltages at 6 μm period

Fig.6 Grayscale images under different X-ray tube voltages at 10 μm period

Fig.7 Grayscale images under different X-ray tube voltages at 25 μm period

Fig.8 Line chart of average gray scale values under different X-ray tube voltages

Fig.9 Relationship between edge extraction position，ESF，LSF curves，MTF and spatial resolution. （a） 25 μm period blade edge extraction position；（b） 25 μm period ESF，LSF curves；（c） modulation transfer function and spatial resolution relationship

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