Micro-CT scanner with a focusing polycapillary X-ray optic

Steven M. Jorgensen, Denise A. Reyes, Carolyn A. MacDonald, Erik L. Ritman

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A bench-top x-ray micro-CT scanner was used to evaluate a focusing x-ray optic as a means to augment micro-CT scanner performance. The optic consists of a bundle of hollow glass fibers (25 μm diameter) which are arranged and curved so that the optic has an 8° input focus and a 4.1° output focus cone angle. This optic was placed between our spectroscopy x-ray source (18 keV) and the specimen. The x-ray fluorescent crystal plate was placed as close as possible behind the specimen and the light image generated within it was projected onto a CCD with a lens. The specimen was imaged and rotated about its axis in 1° steps until a 360° rotation was completed. The resulting, normalized, projection images were submitted to modified Feldkamp cone-beam reconstruction. A 1 cm diameter plastic cylinder, in which glass microspheres (nominally 10, 30, 100 or 300 μm diameter) were suspended, was used to compare the spatial resolution of the x-ray optic versus the no-optic scans performed at a range of comparable focal spot-to-specimen distances. The increased flux at the specimen obtained by placing the specimen (and fluorescent crystal) closer to the output focal spot of the optic resulted in increased x-ray flux, thereby reducing scan duration several-fold without increase in penumbral blurring.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)158-166
Number of pages9
JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume3772
StatePublished - 1999
EventProceedings of the 1999 Developments in X-Ray Tomography II - Denver, CO, USA
Duration: Jul 22 1999Jul 23 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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