X-ray camera for computed microtomography of biological samples with micrometer resolution using Lu3Al5O12 and Y3Al5O12 scintillators

Andreas Koch; Francoise Peyrin; Philippe Heurtier; Bernard Ferrand; Bernard Chambaz; Wolfgang Ludwig; Maurice Couchaud

doi:10.1117/12.349490

28 May 1999 X-ray camera for computed microtomography of biological samples with micrometer resolution using Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ and Y₃Al₅O₁₂ scintillators

Andreas Koch, Francoise Peyrin, Philippe Heurtier, Bernard Ferrand, Bernard Chambaz, Wolfgang Ludwig, Maurice Couchaud

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3659, Medical Imaging 1999: Physics of Medical Imaging; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.349490
Event: Medical Imaging '99, 1999, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

An x-ray camera for imaging with a spatial resolution in the micrometer and sub-micrometer range has been developed. The camera consists of a scintillator, light microscopy optics and a cooled charged-coupled device (CCD). A transparent scintillator converts the x-ray field into a visible light image which is projected onto the CCD by the light optics. A resolution of 0.8 micrometer fwhm was achieved using 12-keV x rays and a 5-micrometer thick commercially available Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce (YAG:Ce) scintillator. The detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of the camera is mainly limited by the low absorption of x rays in the thin layer of the scintillator. To increase the absorption, Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ (LAG) scintillators have been grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). The characteristics of LAG activated with Eu or Tb have been investigated, in particular spectral emission, efficiency of x-ray to light conversion, and time response. Three-dimensional computed x-ray microtomography (3D-CMT) images of mouse bone samples have been recorded with this camera using a 5-micrometer thick YAG:Ce screen. The 3D-CMT system uses a parallel monochromatic x-ray beam extracted from the synchrotron radiation. A series of 2D x-ray projection images at different angles were recorded, and processed numerically to yield the 3D image of the bone structure with a voxel size of 1.8 micrometer. Image features smaller than 3 micrometer are clearly visible in the reconstructed tomogram. The quality of the images allows the analysis of the trabecular bone structure that is important for the understanding of the mechanisms of osteoporosis.

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Andreas Koch, Francoise Peyrin, Philippe Heurtier, Bernard Ferrand, Bernard Chambaz, Wolfgang Ludwig, and Maurice Couchaud "X-ray camera for computed microtomography of biological samples with micrometer resolution using Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ and Y₃Al₅O₁₂ scintillators", Proc. SPIE 3659, Medical Imaging 1999: Physics of Medical Imaging, (28 May 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.349490

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