Slow-scan silicon-intensified target-TV x-ray detector for quantitative recording of weak x-ray images

The construction and performance of a two-dimensional x-ray detector is described. X-rays are detected as scintillations in a thin phosphor screen which is fiber-optically coupled to a cooled SIT vidicon TV camera tube. The x-ray image is analog integrated on the vidicon target during an exposure period; afterwards, the x-ray signal is gated off and the target is read via a slow-scan, low-noise readout in a 256×256-pixel raster. Test data are presented on the performance of a detector based on an 80-mm SIT tube. The device is shown to be a quantitative, quantum-limited detector suitable for recording x-ray diffraction patterns over a wide range of x-ray intensities. The detector is shown to be especially suited for high count-rate applications. Current applications of the detector are described.