JP2006177702A - Manufacturing equipment of radiographic image conversion panel, and manufacturing method for the radiographic image conversion panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing equipment of radiographic image conversion panel and a manufacturing method for the radiographic image conversion panel for manufacturing a high sharpness radiographic image conversion panel by preventing the deposition of flotage on a support body, before the initiation of evaporation of stimulable phosphor layer. <P>SOLUTION: The equipment comprises a vacuum vessel 3, crucibles 10 and 10, provided in the vacuum vessel 3 and containing the stimulable phosphor to be evaporated onto the support body 2; a support body holder 4 facing the crucibles 10 and 10 and supporting the support body 2; evaporation source shutters 11 and 11, provided with a shutter plate 12 movable from a coating position covering the openings of the crucibles 10 and 10 to a retracting position that cannot disturb the evaporation of the stimulable phosphor from the crucibles 10 and 10; and a support body shutter 9 provided with a shutter plate 7, movable from a coating position covering the surface of the support body 2 supported by the support body holder 4 to a retracting position that does not reach the support body 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus and a radiation image conversion panel manufacturing method, and more particularly, to a radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus having a photostimulable phosphor layer formed on a surface thereof, and to the radiation image conversion panel. It relates to a manufacturing method.

  Conventionally, as a method for obtaining a radiation image without using a silver salt, a radiation image conversion panel in which a photostimulable phosphor layer is formed on a support has been developed.

  The radiation image conversion panel can absorb radiation transmitted through the subject into the stimulable phosphor layer and accumulate radiation energy corresponding to the radiation transmission density of each part of the subject. After that, the stimulable phosphor is excited in time series by electromagnetic waves (excitation light) such as visible light and infrared rays, so that the radiation energy accumulated in the stimulable phosphor is emitted as stimulated emission light. . The light intensity signal can be converted into an electric signal by photoelectric conversion, for example, and can be reproduced as a visible image on a recording material such as a silver halide photographic material or a display device such as a CRT.

  In order to make the radiation image conversion panel on which the stimulable phosphor layer is formed highly sensitive and highly sharp, it is necessary to crystallize the stimulable phosphor layer on the support, In recent years, it has been reported that when a photostimulable phosphor layer based on an alkali halide such as CsBr is formed by vapor deposition, a highly sensitive radiation image conversion panel can be obtained (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

Conventionally, a manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 is known as a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a radiation image conversion panel by forming a photostimulable phosphor layer by vapor deposition. That is, the conventional manufacturing apparatus includes a vacuum vessel 20, a support holder 22 that holds the support 21 is provided above the inside of the vacuum vessel 20, and the photostimulability is provided near the bottom surface inside the vacuum vessel 20. Evaporation sources 24 and 24 for heating the phosphor and generating vapor in the evaporation region 23 are provided. Such a radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus includes a support rotating mechanism 25 that rotates the support holder 22, and the support 21 supported by the support holder 22 is rotated by the support rotating mechanism 25. However, the stimulable phosphor layer is formed on the support 21 by vapor-depositing the vapor generated from the evaporation sources 24 and 24 on the surface of the support 21.
JP 2001-249198 A

  In order to form a highly sensitive and sharp radiation image conversion panel, the stimulable phosphor is uniformly deposited on the support, and the columnar crystals of the stimulable phosphor formed on the support are uniformly formed. It is necessary to do.

  However, CsBr: Eu dust, various organic substances, fibrous foreign matters, etc. are suspended in the vacuum container, and such suspended substances may adhere to the support before starting the deposition of the stimulable phosphor layer. Can happen. Then, when the photostimulable phosphor layer is vapor-deposited with such a suspended substance on the support, the columnar crystals of the stimulable phosphor are deposited on the adhered substance when the suspended substance is adhered. Then, it grows in a substantially conical shape with the adhering substance as a vertex, and as a result, abnormal growth in the form of protrusions occurs on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer formed on the support.

  When a radiation image is obtained using a radiation image conversion panel, the radiation image is obtained by scanning the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer with stimulating excitation light such as a semiconductor laser after exposing the radiation image conversion panel to radiation. However, when the projecting abnormal growth occurs in the photostimulable phosphor layer, when such a radiation image conversion panel is used for radiographic imaging, the stimulating excitation light abnormally grows in the projecting shape. Scattered by the columnar crystals, so-called image defects that do not have image information on the radiation image occur. When there is such an image defect, there is a problem that it has an adverse effect when performing a diagnosis using a radiographic image.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and prevents suspended matter from adhering to the support before the start of the deposition of the stimulable phosphor layer, thereby achieving high sharp radiation. An object of the present invention is to provide a radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus and a radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing method for manufacturing an image conversion panel.

In order to solve such a problem, the invention described in claim 1 includes a vacuum vessel,
An evaporation source provided in the vacuum vessel and containing an evaporation material to be deposited on a support;
A support holder facing the evaporation source and supporting the support;
An evaporation source shutter comprising a shutter plate movable from a covering position covering the opening of the evaporation source to a retracted position that does not prevent evaporation of the evaporation material from the evaporation source;
A support shutter comprising a shutter plate movable from a covering position covering the surface of the support supported by the support holder to a retracted position exposing the support;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention having such a configuration, the opening of the evaporation source is covered with the shutter plate of the evaporation source shutter and the surface of the support is covered with the shutter plate of the support shutter during non-evaporation. Both the shutters are opened during vapor deposition. As a result, it is possible to prevent the suspended matter from adhering to the support, and the evaporation material generated from the evaporation source and evaporated in the vacuum vessel is deposited on the surface of the support supported by the support holder. A phosphor layer is formed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the radiological image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the support shutter includes a winding mechanism that winds up the shutter plate.

  Therefore, in the second aspect of the invention, the shutter plate of the support shutter can be moved from the covering position covering the surface of the support to the retracted position exposing the support by winding the shutter plate by the winding mechanism. It has become.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 is the radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support shutter is configured such that the support plate is moved from a covering position that covers the surface of the support plate. It is characterized by having a guide rail that guides to the retracted position to be exposed.

  As described above, the invention according to claim 3 is a retracted position in which the shutter plate of the support shutter is exposed from the covering position where the shutter plate of the support shutter covers the surface of the support by guiding the shutter plate along the guide rail. Can move up to.

The invention described in claim 4 is a vapor deposition step of depositing an evaporation material evaporating from an evaporation source on a support in a vacuum vessel;
An evaporation source shutter moving step of moving the shutter plate of the evaporation source shutter from a covering position covering the opening of the evaporation source to a retreat position that does not prevent evaporation of the evaporation material from the evaporation source;
A support shutter moving step of moving the shutter plate of the support holder from a covering position covering the surface of the support to a retracted position exposing the support;
It is characterized by having.

  The invention according to claim 4 having such a configuration moves the shutter plate of the evaporation source shutter so that it is located at a covering position that covers the opening of the evaporation source during non-evaporation and is located at a retreat position during evaporation. At the same time, the shutter plate of the support holder is moved to a covering position that covers the surface of the support when not vapor-deposited and to a retracted position when vapor-depositing. Then, an evaporating material evaporating from the evaporation source is vapor-deposited on the support in a state where both shutters are open, thereby forming a photostimulable phosphor layer.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the support shutter that covers the surface of the support is provided in addition to the evaporation source shutter that covers the opening of the evaporation source, the evaporation material in the crucible is melted and deposited. The support can be covered with a shutter until it is in a suitable state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the suspended matter inside the vacuum vessel from adhering to the support before vapor deposition, and the photostimulable phosphor crystal grows abnormally in a protruding shape with the attached suspended matter as a nucleus. There is nothing. Therefore, there is an effect that a high-definition radiation image conversion panel without image defects can be manufactured.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the shutter plate is wound up by the winding mechanism, it is possible to prevent the floating substance or the like inside the vacuum vessel from adhering to the support before vapor deposition. In addition, there is an effect that the shutter plate can be retracted without taking a place at the time of vapor deposition.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the shutter plate is moved along the guide rail, it is possible to prevent the floating substance or the like inside the vacuum vessel from adhering to the support before vapor deposition by a simple configuration. In addition, the shutter plate can be retracted without taking up space during vapor deposition.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, during non-evaporation, the evaporation source in the crucible is melted and evaporated because the evaporation source shutter covers the opening of the evaporation source and the support shutter covers the surface of the support. It is possible to prevent the suspended matter inside the vacuum vessel from adhering to the support before the deposition is started and the crystals of the photostimulable phosphor are used as the nucleus. Does not grow abnormally in the form of protrusions. Therefore, there is an effect that a high-definition radiation image conversion panel without image defects can be manufactured.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a radiological image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus and a radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  In the present embodiment, the radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures a radiation image conversion panel by forming a photostimulable phosphor layer by vacuum deposition on the surface of a sheet-like support 2. As shown in FIG. A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the vacuum vessel 3, and the vacuum state of the vacuum vessel 3 is maintained by evacuating the inside of the vacuum pump.

  A support holder 4 that holds the support 2 is provided near the upper surface inside the vacuum vessel 3.

  The support 2 is for depositing a photostimulable phosphor layer on its surface, and various kinds of glass, polymer materials, metals, etc. are generally used. In this embodiment, in particular, polymer materials such as resins are used. Or metal sheets, such as an aluminum sheet, an iron sheet, and a copper sheet, are applied suitably. The thickness of the support 2 is generally 80 μm to 5000 μm, and preferably 80 μm to 3000 μm from the viewpoint of handling.

  The support holder 4 is provided with a support rotating mechanism 5 that rotates the support 2 horizontally with respect to the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 3. The support rotation mechanism 5 supports the support holder 4 and rotates the support holder 4, and a motor (not shown) that is disposed outside the vacuum vessel 3 and serves as a drive source for the rotation shaft 6. It consists of and. In addition, the structure which rotates the support body holder 4 and the support body 2 supported by this is not limited to what was illustrated here, It is good also as what rotates by another structure.

  The support holder 4 is preferably provided with heating means (not shown) such as a heater for heating the support 2. By heating the support 2 with a heater or the like, it becomes possible to enhance the adhesion of the support 2 to the support holder 4 or to adjust the film quality of the stimulable phosphor layer. Further, the adsorbate on the surface of the support 2 can be removed and removed, and an impurity layer can be prevented from being generated between the surface of the support 2 and the photostimulable phosphor. The heating means is not limited to the heater, and may have a mechanism (not shown) for circulating a heating medium or a heating medium instead of the heater. In this case, it is suitable for vapor deposition while keeping the substrate temperature at the time of vapor deposition at a relatively low temperature of 50 to 150 ° C.

  At the lower end of the support holder 4, for example, a support shutter 9 including a shutter plate 7 having a surface area equal to or larger than the surface area of the support and a winding mechanism 8 for winding the shutter plate 7 is provided. Yes. The shutter plate 7 is composed of, for example, a plurality of strip-shaped plate members (not shown) extending along the longitudinal direction of the winding mechanism 8, and adjacent strip-shaped plate members are hinged to each other. Is. The winding mechanism 8 includes a rotating shaft (not shown) on which one end of the shutter plate 7 is locked, and the rotating shaft can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by a driving source (not shown). As the rotating shaft of the winding mechanism 8 rotates, the shutter plate 7 is sequentially wound into the winding mechanism 8 and moves from a covering position covering the entire surface of the support 2 to a retracted position where the support 2 is exposed. It is possible.

  Also, two metal crucibles 10 are disposed near the bottom surface inside the vacuum vessel 3 as an evaporation source for depositing the stimulable phosphor as a vapor. In the crucibles 10 and 10, a stimulable phosphor (not shown) is accommodated as an evaporation material for forming a stimulable phosphor layer on the surface of the support 2 by vapor deposition. An opening (not shown) is provided on the side facing the support 2 supported by the body holder 4.

  The crucibles 10, 10 are made of alumina or the like, for example, and a heater (not shown) is wound around the peripheral surfaces of the crucibles 10, 10. The crucibles 10, 10 are heated, for example, when a heater generates heat by resistance heating, thereby melting the photostimulable phosphors inside the crucibles 10, 10 and generating vapor inside the vacuum vessel 3. It is like that. For example, the vapor is diffused in the evaporation region 13 as shown in FIG. The structure of the crucibles 10 and 10 is not limited to that illustrated here. For example, the crucibles 10 and 10 themselves are provided with a high-frequency oscillation coil capable of directly generating an induction current and heating the high-frequency induction heating method. Thus, the raw materials in the crucibles 10, 10 may be melted. Moreover, the material which forms the crucibles 10 and 10 is not limited to what was illustrated here. For example, a refractory metal or the like may be used. Furthermore, the raw material may be melted using various types of vacuum evaporation boats as an evaporation source.

  In addition, it is preferable to install the space | interval with the support body 2 and the crucibles 10 and 10 to 100 mm-1500 mm.

  Above each of the crucibles 10 and 10, crucible shutters 11 and 11 for blocking the space from the crucibles 10 and 10 to the support 2 are provided. Each of the crucible shutters 11, 11 has a shutter plate 12, 12 formed in a size that can block the evaporation region 13 of the vapor evaporating from the crucible 10, 10 having a larger surface area than the opening of the crucible 10, 10. The shutter plates 12 and 12 include, for example, a rise of steam evaporating from the crucibles 10 and 10 along a guide rail (not shown) by a driving source (not shown), a rise of steam from a covering position that prevents diffusion, It can be moved to a retreat position that does not prevent diffusion. Thus, by providing the crucible shutters 11 and 11, it is possible to prevent substances other than the target substance adhering to the surface of the stimulable phosphor from evaporating at the initial stage of vapor deposition and adhering to the support 2. . The structure of the crucible shutters 11 and 11 and the mechanism for moving the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are not limited to those illustrated here.

  Here, the evaporation material used in the present embodiment will be described. The evaporating material in the present embodiment includes a phosphor or a raw material thereof, and it is preferable to use a stimulable phosphor represented by the following general formula (1).

General formula (1)
M ¹ X · aM ² X ' ₂ · bM ³ X " ₃ : eA
[Wherein, M ¹ is at least one alkali metal atom selected from Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs atoms, and M ² is Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Cd, Cu. And at least one divalent metal atom selected from each atom of Ni, and M ³ is Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, At least one trivalent metal atom selected from each atom of Tm, Yb, Lu, Al, Ga and In, and X, X ′ and X ″ are at least selected from each atom of F, Cl, Br and I 1 type of halogen atom, A is Eu, Tb, In, Ce, Tm, Dy, Pr, Ho, Nd, Yb, Er, Gd, Lu, Sm, Y, Tl, Na, Ag, Cu and Mg. At least one metal atom selected from each atom, and , B, e each represent a number between 0 ≦ a <0.5,0 ≦ b <0.5,0 <e <1.0.]

In the photostimulable phosphor represented by the general formula (1), M ¹ represents at least one alkali metal atom selected from each atom such as Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs. At least one alkaline earth metal atom selected from each atom of Cs is preferable, and a Cs atom is more preferable.

M ² represents at least one divalent metal atom selected from atoms such as Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Cd, Cu, and Ni, and among these, Be, It is a divalent metal atom selected from each atom such as Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba.

M ³ is selected from atoms such as Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Al, Ga, and In. At least one trivalent metal atom is represented, but among them, a trivalent metal atom selected from each atom such as Y, Ce, Sm, Eu, Al, La, Gd, Lu, Ga and In is preferable. It is.

  From the viewpoint of improving the photostimulable emission brightness of the photostimulable phosphor, X, X ′ and X ″ represent at least one halogen atom selected from F, Cl, Br and I atoms. At least one halogen atom selected from Br is preferred, and among these, a Br atom is preferably used.

In the general formula (1), the value a is 0 ≦ a <0.5, the value b is 0 ≦ b <0.5, and the value e is 0 <e ≦ 1.0. Preferably represents a numerical value in the range of 0 ≦ b ≦ 10 ⁻² .

  Of these, the phosphor represented by the following general formula (2) or a raw material thereof is particularly preferable.

General formula (2)
CsBr: eEu

  Here, e value shows the numerical value of the range of 0.0001 <e <= 1.0.

  Here, the photostimulable phosphor layer has a long and narrow columnar crystal structure independent of each other, and is preferably a columnar crystal 14 having a uniform diameter and shape. When the surface of the support 2 is a flat plate, the columnar crystals 14 grow uniformly on the entire surface of the support 2 with substantially the same diameter and shape, and the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer is formed by the columnar crystals 14. It becomes an aligned substantially planar structure. However, when the deposit 15 is present on the surface of the support 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the columnar crystal 14 grows in a substantially conical shape with the deposit 15 as a nucleus and a contact point with the deposit 15 as a vertex. Then, the abnormal growth 16 occurs on the surface of the finally formed photostimulable phosphor layer. When a radiation image conversion panel composed of a photostimulable phosphor layer in which such protrusion-like abnormal growth 16 appears is used for radiographic imaging, when the excitation light is irradiated, the stimulating excitation light causes the protrusion-like abnormality. A so-called image defect is generated which is scattered by the growth 16 and does not have image information on the radiographic image, and a highly accurate diagnostic image cannot be obtained. Therefore, in order to produce a radiation image conversion panel capable of obtaining a highly accurate diagnostic image by forming a uniform photostimulable phosphor layer on the whole, it is supported before vapor deposition of the photostimulable phosphor is deposited. It is necessary to prevent the deposit 15 from adhering to the surface of the body 2.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the radiographic image conversion panel which concerns on this invention using the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the said radiographic image conversion panel is demonstrated.

  In order to form the photostimulable phosphor layer on the support 2 using the radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus 1, first, the support 2 is attached to the support holder 4.

  First, the stimulable phosphors are filled in the crucibles 10 and 10 and the crucibles 10 and 10 are heated by the heater, and the stimulable phosphors housed in the crucibles 10 and 10 are heated until reaching the melting point. . Next, the inside of the vacuum vessel 3 is evacuated by a vacuum pump. At this time, an inert gas such as Ar gas or Ne gas may be introduced. During this time, both the shutter plate 7 of the support shutter 9 and the shutter plates 12 and 12 of the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are located at the coating position, and floating substances and the like adhere to the support 2 before becoming suitable for vapor deposition. There is no such thing.

  After that, when the degree of vacuum at which the vacuum vessel 3 can be deposited is reached and the photostimulable phosphor accommodated in the crucibles 10 and 10 is heated to a temperature suitable for deposition, the support rotating mechanism 5 supports the support. The holder 4 is rotated in the horizontal direction with respect to the crucibles 10,10. First, the shutter plate 7 is wound up by the winding mechanism 8 of the support shutter 9 to move the shutter plate 7 to a predetermined retreat position where the surface of the support plate 2 is exposed, and immediately after that, the crucible shutter 11, 11 shutter plates 12 and 12 are moved to a predetermined retreat position where the openings of the crucibles 10 and 10 are exposed. In this way, by moving the shutter plates 12 and 12 of the crucible shutters 11 and 11 to the retracted position immediately after the shutter plate 7 of the support shutter 9 has moved to the retracted position, suspended matter or the like on the support 2 before the start of vapor deposition. And the vapor generated from the crucibles 10 and 10 can be deposited on the support 2 without waste.

  The timing at which the shutter plate 7 of the support shutter 9 and the shutter plates 12 and 12 of the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are moved to the retracted position may be automatically controlled by the manufacturing apparatus 1 or may be changed by the user or the like. The opening / closing operation may be performed manually at the same timing while observing the degree of vacuum of the vacuum vessel 3 and the heating condition of the stimulable phosphor in the crucibles 10 and 10.

  By moving the crucible shutters 11, 11 to the retracted position with the support shutter 9 in the retracted position, the stimulable phosphor evaporates from the heated crucibles 10, 10, and the vapor is inside the vacuum vessel 3. The photostimulable phosphor layer is formed by uniformly depositing on the surface of the support 2 which is diffused and rotated in the evaporation region 13. The vapor deposition is performed until the stimulable phosphor layer grows to a desired thickness, and this stimulable phosphor layer is preferably formed to a thickness of 10 μm to 2000 μm, and more preferably 50 μm. It is preferable that the film be formed to a thickness of ˜1000 μm.

  According to the radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus 1 or the radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing method described above, the crucible shutter is provided with the support shutter 9 that can cover the entire surface of the support 2 in addition to the crucible shutters 11 and 11. The shutter plate 7 of the support shutter 9 is moved to the retracted position immediately before the 11 and 11 shutter plates 12 and 12 are moved to the retracted position, so that the photostimulable phosphor is supported before being in a state suitable for vapor deposition. It is possible to reliably prevent the floating body from adhering to the body 2.

  Therefore, the columnar crystal 14 of the stimulable phosphor can be uniformly grown on the support 2, and a stimulable phosphor layer having no variation in luminance and sharpness can be formed. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a high-accuracy radiation image conversion panel free from image defects.

  In the present embodiment, the support shutter 9 includes a shutter plate 7 and a winding mechanism 8 that winds up the shutter plate 7, and the shutter plate 7 is moved from the covering position to the retracted position by the winding mechanism 8. However, the configuration of the support shutter 9 is not limited to that illustrated here.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the shutter plate 18 formed as a support shutter 17 larger than the surface area of the support 2 and the shutter plate 18 provided on both inner side walls of the vacuum vessel 3 are parallel to the support 2. You may make it provide the guide rail (not shown) guided to a position parallel to the side wall of the vacuum vessel 3 from a position. In this case, at the time of non-deposition, the shutter plate 18 is supported by the guide rail and is located at a covering position that covers the entire surface of the support 2, and at the time of evaporation, the shutter plate 18 is parallel to the side wall of the vacuum vessel 3 along the guide rail. The support 2 is exposed by retracting to the retracted position. In addition, for example, a shutter plate that is sized to cover almost half of the surface of the support is provided, a rotation shaft that rotatably supports each shutter plate is provided, and each shutter plate is horizontally oriented with the rotation shaft as a fulcrum. , The two shutter plates may overlap in the vicinity of the center of the support so that the entire surface of the support is covered.

  In this embodiment, the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are opened immediately after the support shutter 9 is opened. However, the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are opened immediately after the support shutter 9 is opened. The timing is not limited to this. For example, the support shutter 9 and the crucible shutters 11 and 11 may be opened simultaneously, or the support shutter 9 may be opened after the crucible shutters 11 and 11 are opened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with two crucibles 10 as evaporation sources, but the number of crucibles 10 is not limited to this. For example, only one or three or more crucibles may be provided. May be.

  In addition, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

Next, an apparatus for manufacturing a radiation image conversion panel and a method for manufacturing a radiation image conversion panel according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these.
[Example 1]

In this embodiment, a stimulable phosphor layer is formed by vapor-depositing a stimulable phosphor (CsBr: 0.0001Eu) on one side of a support using the radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. did. A resistance heating crucible was used as the evaporation source, and a 0.5 mm thick Al plate (100 mm × 100 mm) was used as the support. The distance between the support and the crucible was 60 cm. In addition, a support plate shutter including a shutter plate that can cover the entire surface of the support and a winding mechanism that winds up the shutter plate is disposed below the support by 2 cm.
First, the stimulable phosphor was filled in each crucible as an evaporation material, and the support was supported by the support holder.
Subsequently, after evacuating the inside of the vacuum vessel of the manufacturing apparatus, introducing Ar gas and adjusting the degree of vacuum to 0.1 Pa, the support is heated by a heating lamp (not shown) while rotating the support holder, The temperature was kept at 100 ° C.
Next, each crucible was first heated to melt the stimulable phosphor housed therein, and then the shutter plate of the support shutter was retracted to the retracted position.
Subsequently, the shutter plate of the crucible shutter provided in each crucible is retracted to the retracted position to generate vapor in the evaporation region in the vacuum vessel. finished. Thereby, the radiation image conversion panel of Example 1 having a film thickness of 400 μm was manufactured.
[Example 2]

In this example, a stimulable phosphor layer was formed by vapor-depositing a stimulable phosphor (CsBr: 0.0001Eu) on one side of a support using the radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. Thus, a radiation image conversion panel having a thickness of 400 μm was manufactured. Note that the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus includes a shutter plate that is not provided with a take-up mechanism and that is retracted from a position covering the surface of the support along the guide rail to a retreat position that does not cover the surface of the support. Except for this, it is the same as in Example 1, and the other conditions are also the same as in Example 1.
Note that the manufacturing apparatus used in this embodiment has a simpler mechanism for moving the shutter plate of the support shutter than the manufacturing apparatus used in Embodiment 1, so that dust generated when the shutter plate is retracted is not generated. Less than in Example 1.
[Comparative example]

  Except that the shutter is not provided on the support side, a radiographic image conversion having a film thickness of 400 μm is used under the same conditions as in the first and second embodiments, using a manufacturing apparatus having the same configuration as in the first and second embodiments. Panels were manufactured.

About each radiation image conversion panel obtained by making it above, the projection-like abnormal growth (FIG. 2) which generate | occur | produced on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer by irradiating illumination light on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer. Size) and number of pieces were measured.

As described above, as shown in Table 1, in the case of Example 1 in which a support shutter having a winding mechanism is provided on the support side, a protrusion having a size of 50 μm or more generated on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer In the case of Example 2 in which a support shutter having a shutter plate movable along the guide is provided on the support side, ^two abnormal growths are measured per 1 mm ² , and the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer One protrusion abnormal growth having a size of 50 μm or more occurring in 1 was measured per 1 mm ² . On the other hand, when a shutter is not provided on the support side as in the comparative example, 18 abnormal protrusions with a size of 50 μm or more generated on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer are measured per 1 mm ^2. It was done.

  From this result, when the support is covered with the shutter plate until the crucible shutter is opened and the deposition of the stimulable phosphor is started, it is possible to prevent the suspended matter from adhering to the support. A high-accuracy radiation image conversion panel can be produced by suppressing the occurrence of abnormal protrusions having a size of 50 μm or more generated on the surface of the stimulable phosphor layer.

It is the side view which showed typically schematic structure of one Embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus of the radiographic image conversion panel which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the columnar crystal of the photostimulable phosphor layer and protrusion-like abnormal growth occurring on the surface of the photostimulable phosphor layer. It is the side view which showed typically schematic structure of the modification of one Embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus of the radiographic image conversion panel which concerns on this invention. It is the side view which showed typically schematic structure of an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the conventional radiographic image conversion panel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radiation image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus 2 Support body 3 Vacuum container 4 Support body holder 9 Support body shutter 10 Crucible 11 Crucible shutter 13 Evaporation region

Claims (4)

A vacuum vessel;
An evaporation source provided in the vacuum vessel and containing an evaporation material to be deposited on a support;
A support holder facing the evaporation source and supporting the support;
An evaporation source shutter comprising a shutter plate movable from a covering position covering the opening of the evaporation source to a retracted position that does not prevent evaporation of the evaporation material from the evaporation source;
A support shutter comprising a shutter plate movable from a covering position covering the surface of the support supported by the support holder to a retracted position exposing the support;
An apparatus for manufacturing a radiation image conversion panel.   The radiographic image conversion panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support shutter includes a winding mechanism that winds up the shutter plate.   The radiographic image conversion according to claim 1, wherein the support shutter includes a guide rail that guides the shutter plate from a covering position that covers a surface of the support to a retracted position that exposes the support. Panel manufacturing equipment. In a vacuum vessel, a vapor deposition step of depositing an evaporation material that evaporates from an evaporation source on a support,
An evaporation source shutter moving step of moving the shutter plate of the evaporation source shutter from a covering position covering the opening of the evaporation source to a retreat position that does not prevent evaporation of the evaporation material from the evaporation source;
A support shutter moving step of moving the shutter plate of the support holder from a covering position covering the surface of the support to a retracted position exposing the support;
A method for producing a radiation image conversion panel.

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