JP2014085223A - Method for manufacturing scintillator array - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for efficiently manufacturing dual-array-type scintillator arrays.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing scintillator arrays cuts first and second scintillator substrates laminated with a resin layer being interposed between them to form pairs of first and second scintillator sticks in parallel via the resin layer. The method parallelly arrays the obtained plurality of pairs first and second scintillator sticks on a support plate, and then cuts the first and second scintillator sticks two or more times to parallelly array a plurality of pairs of first cell arrays, each of which is arrayed with first scintillator cells in line, and second cell arrays, each of which is arrayed with second scintillator cells in line. Then, the method fills gaps between the first cell arrays and the second cell arrays with resin for reflection materials to form resin curing units and cut them, to make dual-array-type scintillator arrays.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for efficiently manufacturing a dual array type scintillator array for a radiation detector.

  One of the radiation examination apparatuses is a computed tomography apparatus (Computed Tomography (CT) apparatus). The CT apparatus has an X-ray tube that emits an X-ray fan beam and a radiation detector that is provided with a large number of radiation detection elements. The X-ray tube and the radiation detector are arranged so as to face each other with the measurement object as the center. The X-ray fan beam emitted from the X-ray tube passes through the measurement object and is detected by the radiation detector. Collect X-ray absorption data by changing the irradiation angle for each irradiation, calculate the X-ray absorption rate at each position on the tomographic plane to be measured by computer analysis, and construct an image according to the X-ray absorption rate To do. The radiation detection element is composed of a large number of scintillator cells. As a radiation detector, a detector combining a scintillator cell and a silicon photodiode, or a detector combining a scintillator cell and a photomultiplier tube is used.

  Dual energy detectors using two types of scintillator cells having different X-ray absorption rates are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example. Patent Document 1 discloses a dual energy detector in which light emission of one scintillator cell is received by one diode and light emission of the other scintillator cell is received by the other diode. Not disclosed. Also, Patent Document 2 does not specifically disclose a method for manufacturing a scintillation array.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a method of manufacturing a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional detector array in which scintillator cells having different widths are combined. The method comprises (a) forming a composite layer consisting of a sensor layer and a base layer containing a material sensitive to radiation, and (b) dividing the sensor layer into individual elements that are insulated from one another. A partition wall is formed in the sensor layer by cutting the material of the composite layer from the opposite side. However, in this method, the number of processes increases as the number of cells increases.

  In Patent Document 4, two types of scintillator elements having different X-ray absorption rates are arranged in the X-ray transmission direction, and light detection elements corresponding to the scintillator elements are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the scintillator elements. Discloses an X-ray detector array in which a plurality of scintillator elements and a plurality of light detection elements form a column. The plurality of scintillator elements are integrally molded with a light reflective material. However, Patent Document 4 does not specifically disclose a method for manufacturing an X-ray detector array.

  Patent Document 5 discloses a scintillation array in which a scintillation ceramic wafer is manufactured, a plurality of slits in two directions orthogonal to the upper surface of the ceramic wafer are formed, and a part of the surface of the ceramic wafer is oxidized to form a reflective layer. Is disclosed. The slits that form the gaps between the individual pixels are similarly filled with a reflective layer. However, this scintillation array is formed by one kind of scintillation ceramic. Therefore, Patent Document 5 does not disclose a technique for arranging two types of scintillation cells.

US Pat. No. 4,511,799 WO2006 / 114715 (Japanese translations of PCT publication No. 2008-538966) JP 2002-236182 (US Pat. No. 6,793,857) JP 2001-174564 A Special table 2009-524015

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently producing a dual array type scintillator array using two types of scintillator substrates having different compositions.

The scintillator array manufacturing method of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a dual array scintillator array,
A laminating step of laminating a first scintillator substrate and a second scintillator substrate having a composition different from that of the first scintillator substrate via a resin layer; and
A stick forming step of forming a plurality of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks in parallel through a resin layer by cutting the laminated substrate a plurality of times;
A fixing step of fixing a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in parallel on a support plate;
The first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick fixed on the support plate are cut a plurality of times, so that a first cell array in which the first scintillator cells are arranged in one row and a second cell array in which the second scintillator cells are arranged in one row, An array forming step of arranging a plurality of sets in parallel;
After the resin for the reflective material is filled and cured to cover the first cell array and the second cell array, the support plate is removed, thereby integrating the plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array. A coating process to form a typical resin cured assembly;
A dividing step of dividing the cured resin aggregate into groups of the first cell array and the second cell array by cutting a resin layer between adjacent pairs of the first cell array and the second cell array. Features.

  In the scintillator array manufacturing method, following the covering step, by grinding both surfaces of the cured resin assembly, an integrated cell array assembly having a predetermined thickness in which the first cell array and the second cell array are exposed is obtained. Then, it is preferable to add an exposed surface covering step of covering one exposed surface of the first cell array and the second cell array in the cell array aggregate with a resin for the second reflecting material.

  In the manufacturing method of the scintillator array, it is preferable to add a coating layer grinding step of grinding the coating layer made of the resin for the second reflecting material to a predetermined thickness following the exposed surface coating step.

  In the manufacturing method of the scintillator array, in the fixing step, a spacer is disposed between the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in adjacent groups, and the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are fixed, and then the spacer It is possible to add a spacer process for removing the.

  In the manufacturing method of the scintillator array, in the fixing step, the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in the adjacent set are arranged with the adjacent end faces in contact with each other, and a gap is formed by cutting at the contacted position. A gap forming step can be added.

In the manufacturing method of the scintillator array, in the gap forming step,
It is preferable to cut a plane that includes at least one of the opposing end surfaces of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in the adjacent set and is perpendicular to the support plate.

  The first scintillator substrate is different in composition from the second scintillator substrate. Then, when the substrate dimensions and the substrate area along the X-ray irradiation direction are the same, and the X-ray absorption rate is compared at an X-ray wavelength corresponding to, for example, energy of 100 keV, the X-ray absorption rate of the second scintillator substrate is The X-ray absorption rate of the first scintillator substrate is preferably higher. The X-ray absorption rate corresponds to the ratio of the intensity of the total X-rays irradiated to the scintillator substrate and the X-rays absorbed by the scintillator substrate among the total X-rays. And the magnitude | size of an X-ray absorption rate changes with the energy (or wavelength of X-ray corresponding to it) given.

For example, zinc selenide (ZnSe) doped with tellurium (Te) is used as the material of the first scintillator substrate, and gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd ₂ O ₂ S: Pr, Ce, or “ GOS ") can be used. Further, for example, yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) or another similar material can be used as the material of the first scintillator substrate, and GOS can be used as the material of the second scintillator substrate.

  The first scintillator substrate and the second scintillator substrate are preferably made of a material having a hardness that does not deform during positioning or move during processing. For example, any material can be used as long as it is made of a high-density and high-hardness ceramic material and corresponds to the scintillator substrate. Further, it is preferable to select a processing method with good processing accuracy and a short processing time according to the material of the scintillator substrate to be used. When the ceramic material is used for a scintillator substrate, it is preferable to select a processing method using a blade or a wire saw using diamond abrasive grains.

  According to the method of the present invention, a dual array type scintillator array using two types of scintillator substrates having different compositions can be efficiently manufactured.

It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the scintillator array by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing roughly the 1st scintillator board in Step A1 of the method of a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows schematically the 2nd scintillator board | substrate used for step a1 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the 1st scintillator board | substrate and the 2nd scintillator board | substrate laminated | stacked through the resin layer in step A2 of the method of 1st Embodiment. 1 schematically shows a first scintillator stick and a second scintillator stick (that is, a stick joined body) that are paired in parallel through a resin layer after being cut in step A3 of the method of the first embodiment. It is a perspective view. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which a plurality of sets of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks are arranged in parallel on a support plate and fixed via an adhesive in Step A4 of the method of the first embodiment. is there. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are cut and formed in the scintillator cell array in step A5 of the method of the first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the state after coat | covering with resin in step A6 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the resin hardening aggregate | assembly in step A6 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the state after grinding both surfaces in step A7 of the method of 1st Embodiment. In step A8 of the method of 1st Embodiment, it is a perspective view which shows schematically the state after coat | covering with resin. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the state after filling and hardening | curing resin and removing a support plate in step A8 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the scintillator array aggregate | assembly in step A9 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the dual array type scintillator array in step A10 of the method of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the scintillator array by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing roughly a stick joined object in Step A3 of a method of a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 6 schematically shows a state in which a plurality of sets of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks are arranged in parallel on a support plate and fixed via an adhesive in step A4 ′ of the method of the second embodiment. It is a perspective view. FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which a plurality of sets of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks are cut and formed in a scintillator cell array in step A5 ′ of the method of the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the scintillator array by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The description of each embodiment is applicable to other embodiments unless otherwise specified.

  The present invention includes a laminating step of laminating a first scintillator substrate and a second scintillator substrate having a composition different from that of the first scintillator substrate via a resin layer to form a multilayer substrate. By this laminating step, the distance between the first scintillator substrate and the second scintillator substrate can be determined by the dimension in the laminating direction of the resin layer.

  The present invention has a stick forming step of forming a plurality of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks in parallel through a resin layer by cutting the laminated substrate a plurality of times. . By this stick forming step, one set of one first scintillator stick and one second scintillator stick arranged in parallel can be obtained by one cutting. A plurality of sets can be obtained by cutting a plurality of times.

  In other words, in the present invention, the first scintillator stick formed from the first scintillator substrate and the second scintillator stick formed from the second scintillator substrate through the laminating step and the stick forming step are interposed via the resin layer. Thus, a plurality of stick joined bodies joined in parallel can be obtained efficiently.

  The present invention includes a fixing step of fixing a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in parallel on a support plate. By this fixing step, the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick as one set and the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick as another set are arranged in parallel on the support plate. A plurality of sets are arranged in parallel and fixed on the support plate.

  In the present invention, the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick fixed on the support plate are cut a plurality of times so that the first cell array and the second scintillator cell are arranged in one row. There is an array forming step of arranging a plurality of pairs with the second cell array in parallel. By this array formation process, the first scintillator stick is divided into the first cell array and the second scintillator stick is divided into the second cell array by cutting a plurality of times. Since the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are fixed on the support plate in a plurality of sets in the previous fixing step, a plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array are arranged in parallel. .

  According to the present invention, a plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array are formed by filling and curing a resin for a reflective material to cover the first cell array and the second cell array, and then removing the support plate. A coating process for forming an integral resin cured assembly having a cell array; By this covering step, an integrated cured resin assembly is obtained, so that the support plate for fixing the plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array can be removed.

  The present invention includes a dividing step of dividing the cured resin aggregate into groups of the first cell array and the second cell array by cutting a resin layer between adjacent pairs of the first cell array and the second cell array. Have. By this division step, a dual array scintillator array having a first cell array and a second cell array as a set and a resin layer can be obtained.

[1] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a scintillator array according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Each step will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that one process can be constituted by one step (that is, a small process or a “subdivided process”), but a plurality of steps may be included and regarded as one process.

(Lamination process)
First, as shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular plate-like first scintillator substrate 1 made of a first scintillator sintered body is manufactured using a material having a high X-ray absorption rate on the low energy side (step A1).

  In FIG. 2, the first scintillator substrate 1 has a length in the Y direction as L2 and a dimension in the Z direction as w5. This w5 corresponds to the width of the first scintillator stick described later. A direction perpendicular to the widest surface of the first scintillator substrate 1 is defined as a Z direction, and a surface perpendicular to the Z direction is defined as an XY surface. The larger the dimension of the scintillator substrate in the X direction, the more scintillator sticks to be described later can be manufactured efficiently by increasing the number of scintillator sticks.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a rectangular plate-like second scintillator substrate 8 made of a second scintillator sintered body is produced using a material having a high X-ray absorption rate on the high energy side. Then, a reflective resin is applied to one surface of the second scintillator substrate, cured by heating, and polished to form a resin layer having a uniform Z-direction dimension (step a1).

  In FIG. 3, the second scintillator substrate 8 has the same length L2 in the Y direction as the first scintillator substrate, and the dimension in the Z direction is w12. This w12 corresponds to the width of the second scintillator stick described later. As the resin, the same resin as a resin 37a described later can be used.

  Next, a thin resin for the reflective material is applied on the resin layer formed on the second scintillator substrate 8. This thin resin becomes an adhesive layer. Next, the first scintillator substrate 1 is placed and adhered, and the resin is cured by heating. Then, since the two resin layers are integrated, the resin layer 11 is formed between the first scintillator substrate and the second scintillator substrate. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a laminated substrate 3 in which the second scintillator substrate 8, the resin layer 11, and the first scintillator substrate 1 are laminated is obtained (step A2). The dimension in the Z direction of the resin layer 11 after being cured is indicated by reference sign g22. This g22 is also the width of the resin layer 21a described later.

(Stick forming process)
Next, the laminated substrate 3 of FIG. 4 is cut parallel to the YZ plane using a cutting rotary grindstone (that is, cutting in the Y direction). A portion to be cut is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. By cutting in the Y direction, a part of the multilayer substrate 3 is cut off to obtain one stick joined body (see reference numeral 10 in FIG. 5) whose thickness (that is, the dimension in the X direction) is t9. A state in which this stick joined body is pushed down so as to rotate 90 ° about the Y axis as a rotation axis is shown in FIG. 5 described later.

  Next, the cutting grindstone is translated by a predetermined distance along the X direction in FIG. 4, and then the above-described cutting in the Y direction is performed again. Similarly, the cutting grindstone is shifted in the X direction at an equal pitch, and the cutting in the Y direction is repeated a plurality of times. A plurality of stick joined bodies are obtained by these cuttings. By setting the pitches to be equal, it is possible to form the thickness at t9 with all of the plurality of stick joined bodies.

  As another substrate cutting method for cutting the laminated substrate according to FIG. 4, a multi-wire saw having a plurality of cut portions in parallel at an equal pitch may be used.

  One of the resulting stick assemblies 10 is shown in FIG. This stick joined body 10 is configured by a pair of one scintillator stick 6 and one second scintillator stick 13 arranged in parallel via a resin layer 21a. That is, one first scintillator stick 6 and one second scintillator stick 13 included in one stick joined body correspond to one set. The first scintillator stick, the second scintillator stick, and the resin layer 21a have a thickness in the X direction of t9 (that is, the thickness of the stick joined body is t9). One end face of the stick joined body corresponds to the end face 7 of the first scintillator stick, and the other end face of the stick joined body corresponds to the end face 14 of the second scintillator stick.

(Fixing process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 (that corresponds to one stick joined body 10) are prepared. Then, a plurality of sets of stick joined bodies 10 are arranged in parallel on the front surface 17 of the first support plate 16 via an adhesive (not shown) and fixed (step A4). In order to arrange them in parallel, for example, a spacer or the like may be used as described later. By using the support plate, a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick arranged in parallel on the support plate can be fixed without shifting. The length L18 of the first support plate 16 is longer than the length L2 of the first scintillator substrate, and the shape thereof is a rectangular parallelepiped.

  Preferably, the width w20 of the first support plate 16 is determined so that a plurality of sets can be cut almost simultaneously. The resin layer 21a formed between the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 becomes the intermediate layer 21b of FIG. 14 when a scintillator array is manufactured as described later. The term “intermediate” is used as a term indicating between the first scintillator cell array and the second scintillator cell array. Further, in the gap G39 formed between the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 in the adjacent group (that is, between the adjacent stick joined bodies), the outer periphery of the scintillator cell array when the scintillator array is manufactured. An outer peripheral portion serving as a resin layer covering the substrate is disposed. The dimension g25 of the gap G39 is formed with a dimension that takes into account the allowance.

  The adhesive is not particularly limited as long as the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 are fixed and their positions can be accurately maintained in the subsequent steps. For example, an adhesive, a double-sided adhesive film, a double-sided adhesive tape, etc. can be used. Among these, a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a pressure-sensitive double-sided adhesive film is preferable in consideration of positioning accuracy, handling properties, temporary fixing workability, and the like. In Embodiment 1, a pressure-sensitive double-sided adhesive film will be described.

(Spacer process)
Since a resin layer to be cut later is provided between adjacent scintillator sticks, the dimension g25 may be a dimension obtained by combining the width dimension of the outer peripheral portion of the scintillator array and the machining margin dimension at the time of cutting. Therefore, at the time of assembly, first, a spacer is interposed between the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 in the adjacent set. The spacer may be a rod-shaped pin having a square cross section having the same side length as the dimension g25, or a rod-shaped pin having a circular section having the same diameter as the dimension g25. Then, the spacer is removed after fixing the adjacent first scintillator stick and second scintillator stick on the support plate. Depending on the arrangement of the spacer, the spacer may be removed immediately after fixing, or may be removed by cutting after the resin is cured.

  When the spacer is removed after the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 are positioned and fixed, the spacer preferably has a small contact area with the adhesive. In addition, when the contact area is large, it is preferable to arrange one shortened spacer along each end of the scintillator stick to be cut off later.

  As the spacer, a jig, an alignment frame, or an alignment pin may be used instead of the rod-shaped pin. As the alignment pin, for example, a stainless steel pin having a diameter of 0.2 to 1 mm can be used. As an alignment frame, a thin plate having a slot or a slit into which a pair of the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 (that is, one stick joined body) fits may be used. The material of the alignment frame is, for example, stainless steel or silicon. When the alignment frame is used, a scintillator array can be manufactured with high accuracy and efficiency and with a high yield.

  Next, after all the first scintillator sticks 6 and the second scintillator sticks 13 are provisionally positioned through the spacers (that is, after being temporarily fixed), the first scintillator sticks 6 and the second scintillator sticks 6 arranged through the spacers 2 When the scintillator stick 13 (that is, the stick bonded body) is lightly pressed in the Z direction, the deviation or the like caused by the temporary fixing is eliminated, and the gap in the Z direction becomes the dimension g25. By repeating this procedure a plurality of times, adjacent groups (that is, adjacent stick joints) are arranged in parallel, so that a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are arranged in parallel. become. The positioning accuracy in the Z direction of the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 is increased. The spacer contributes to this high positioning accuracy. By pressing after the placement, the adhesive functions, and the plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are fixed in a state of being arranged in parallel.

  Next, a press plate is placed on the upper surfaces of all the first scintillator sticks 6 and the second scintillator sticks 13 (that is, all stick joined bodies) accurately positioned through the spacers, and the press plates are placed in the X direction (first direction). Press evenly in the direction perpendicular to the back surface 26 of the scintillator stick and the back surface 27 of the second scintillator stick. Then, the pressure-sensitive double-sided adhesive film develops an adhesive force, and the front surface of the first scintillator stick 6 and the front surface of the second scintillator stick 13 are fixed to the front surface 17 of the first support plate 16. When the press plate is removed, the back surface 26 of the first scintillator stick and the back surface 27 of the second scintillator stick are exposed. Then, the jig and the press plate are removed, and the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is reached. Since all the first scintillator sticks 6 and the second scintillator sticks 13 are fixed after removing the press plate, the spacers may be removed.

  In FIG. 6, the longitudinal direction of the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13 is the Y direction, and the normal direction to the back surface 26 of the first scintillator stick 6 and the back surface 27 of the second scintillator stick 13 is the X direction. A direction perpendicular to the Y direction and the X direction is taken as a Z direction.

  In the above arrangement, the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick that form a pair are arranged in the order of the second scintillator stick and the first scintillator stick along the positive direction in the Z direction (see FIG. 6). ). However, an arbitrary set of a plurality of sets on the support plate 16 based on the above-described arrangement can be rearranged in the order of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in the positive direction of the Z direction. Rearrangement corresponds to removing the stick joined body, rotating the stick joined body by 180 ° about the X direction, changing the direction, and rearranging the stick joined body.

(Array formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the first scintillator stick 6 and the first scintillator stick 6 and the first scintillator stick 6 arranged on the front surface 17 of the first support plate 16 via an adhesive (not shown) using the cutting grindstone 4 c. 2 The scintillator stick 13 (that is, the stick bonded body) is collectively cut in the Z direction (cutting in the Z direction). By sweeping the cutting grindstone in the Z direction, the plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are cut. Next, the cutting grindstone 4c is translated by a predetermined distance along the Y direction, and then the cutting in the Z direction is performed again. Similarly, the cutting grindstone 4c is translated in the Y direction at an equal pitch, and the cutting in the Z direction is repeated a plurality of times. Since sweeping is performed at an equal pitch and parallel, gaps formed by cutting are parallel to each other. Then, the portion between the gaps G30 becomes one cell, and the first scintillator cell array 28a partitioned by the gap G30 is formed.

  When cutting at a time, the portion between the gaps G31 becomes one cell, which becomes the second scintillator cell array 29a divided by the gap G31 (step A5). That is, the first scintillator cell array 28a and the second scintillator cell array 29a are formed corresponding to the first cell array and the second cell array. Each cell array is composed of scintillator cells arranged in a line. Then, compared to the method of arranging the scintillator cells individually, it is more efficient to perform the above-described cutting in the Z direction a plurality of times, and a plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array can be easily arranged in parallel.

  Each gap dimension is preferably 10% or less of the width of each cell. A width w32 of one cell after cutting and a width w33 of a plurality of scintillator cell arrays arranged via each gap are smaller than the length L18 of the first support plate. All the cells are fixed to the first support plate 16 via an adhesive. Since the end portion 34a of the first scintillator stick and the end portion 35a of the second scintillator stick in the range outside the width w33 of the scintillator cell array are portions that are not used as the scintillator array, the first support plate before filling with resin. It can also be removed from 16.

  As shown in FIG. 7, even after the first scintillator cell array 28a and the second scintillator cell array 29a are cut, the relative positions of the cells are maintained on the front surface 17 of the first support plate 16 via an adhesive. Is done. For simplification of illustration, the gap G30 of the first scintillator cell array and the gap G31 of the second scintillator cell array are drawn with lines. However, actually, as shown in FIG. 14, the resin layer between cells has a sufficient width for each cell. The gap G39 is the same as that in FIG.

  If spacers are still left after cutting, they may be removed. When the spacer is a rod-shaped pin, the contact area with the adhesive is small, so that it can be easily removed after the press plate is removed. Further, when the spacers are arranged along the both ends of the first scintillator stick 6 and the second scintillator stick 13, the spacers are removed by cutting the outer peripheral part, so that it is not necessary to remove the spacers immediately after fixing.

(Coating process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 8, resin damming films 36 a (36 a L, 36 a F, 36 a R, and 36 a B) are pasted on the four side surfaces of the first support plate 16, and surrounded by the film 36 a and the first support plate 16. The space 37 is filled with a resin 37a for reflecting material and cured (step A6). As will be described later, the support plate is removed after the resin is cured.

  In FIG. 8, since the width of each film is sufficiently larger than the height of the side surface of the first support plate 16, it protrudes upward from the first support plate 16 (that is, in the negative direction of the X direction) and is filled with the resin 37a. A space for damming is formed. The resin 37a functions as a reflector when the first scintillator cell array 28a and the second scintillator cell array 29a emit light.

  In addition, the said film 36a may use 4 sheets, 36aL, 36aF, 36aR, and 36aB, may use a continuous film, or may use a formwork and a box-type container. The film and the mold are preferably made of a plastic from which the resin can be easily peeled. For example, a fluororesin or a metal sheet coated with the fluororesin can be used.

  In Step A6, as the resin 37a, for example, a resin in which white titanium oxide fine particles are mixed is used. The resin 37a is preferably a thermosetting resin. A resin 37a is poured to fill the space and harden. Since the resin 37a enters not only the gap G30 related to the first scintillator cell and the gap G31 related to the second scintillator cell, but also the gap G39 formed by the adjacent first scintillator cell array 28a and second scintillator cell array 29a, the resin 37a is cured. Thus, the plurality of sets of the first scintillator cell array 28a and the second scintillator cell array 29a are efficiently integrated. The gap G39 corresponds to a gap between adjacent stick joints.

  The resin 37a can be directly applied to the first scintillator cell array 28a and the second scintillator cell array 29a without using a film, a frame, or the like. In this case, it is necessary to use a resin having a viscosity that does not flow out. However, if the viscosity is too high, the ability to enter the gap decreases. Therefore, an optimal viscosity resin must be selected.

  Next, after the resin 37a is cured in step A6, the film 36a (36aL, 36aF, 36aR and 36aB), the first support plate 16 and the like are removed to obtain a cured resin assembly 40 as shown in FIG. . Since the first scintillator cell array and the second scintillator cell array form one set in parallel and are filled with resin in the gap and cured, a plurality of sets are integrally held inside the resin cured assembly Has been. And since the 1st scintillator cell array and the 2nd scintillator cell array are held integrally by hardening of resin, a support plate can be removed. 9 is larger than the sum of the thickness d43 of the cell array assembly and the thickness d51 of the back surface resin layer, which will be described later.

(Exposed surface coating process)
Next, grinding is performed on the front surface 41 (surface opposite to the back surface 42) of the cured resin assembly 40 in order to remove the residual adhesive (in some cases, it may be replaced with polishing). Further, the back surface 42 of the cured resin assembly 40 is also ground until the thickness d43 becomes uniform. A plurality of first scintillator cell arrays 28c and second scintillator cell arrays 29c are exposed. By grinding the front and back surfaces (that is, both sides) of the cured resin assembly 40, the thickness of each cell array can be accurately set to a constant dimension of d43, and the first cell array as shown in FIG. Then, an integrated cell array aggregate 44 with the second cell array exposed is obtained (step A7).

  In addition, when going from step A5 to step A7, the gap G30 and the gap G31 shown in FIG. 7 are filled with resin and cured to form a resin layer. Therefore, the interval between the scintillator cells in the Y direction is accurately defined. Further, the gap G39 shown in FIG. 7 is filled with resin and cured to form a resin layer. Therefore, the resin layer having the Z-direction dimension g25 is formed with an accurate dimension. Refer to FIG. 10 for the dimension g25 in the Z direction. Reference numeral 21a denotes a resin layer having a Z-direction dimension g22. The resin layer filled in the gap and the resin layer 47 surrounding the outer periphery (that is, all the stick joints) of the first scintillator cell array and the second scintillator cell array are integrated, so that the resin layer in the cell array assembly 44 is integrated. Is structured.

  If the end portions of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are not removed before the resin is filled, the end portion 34b of the first scintillator stick and the end portion 35b of the second scintillator stick are provided outside the respective scintillator cell arrays. Remains. The remaining end 34b and end 35b are provided in the cured resin assembly 40 together with the scintillator cell array.

  Next, in order to form a resin layer functioning as a reflective material (that is, a coating layer made of resin for the second reflective material) on one surface (that is, one exposed surface) of the cell array assembly 44, as shown in FIG. The cell array assembly 44 is placed on a second support plate (for example, a glass plate) 48 having the same area as or larger than that of the cell array assembly 44, and a resin damming film is provided on four side surfaces of the second support plate 48. A space for filling resin is formed by attaching 36b. Resin 37b is poured into this space (step A8). One surface of the cell array assembly 44 is one exposed surface of the first cell array and the second cell array.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the resin damming film 36b may be composed of four sheets of 36bF, 36bR, 36bB, and 36bL, or one continuous film, a formwork, or a box-type container is used. May be. The resin 37b has the same composition as the resin 37a. In FIG. 11, since the cell array aggregate 44, the first scintillator cell array 28c, the second scintillator cell array 29c, etc. are hidden behind the resin 37b and the film 36b, their outlines are represented by chain lines.

  Next, after the resin 37b is cured to form the back surface resin layer 49a (that is, a coating layer formed by curing the resin for the second reflecting material), the resin blocking films 36bF, 36bR, 36bB, 36bL and the first 2 By removing the support plate 48, the resin-coated cell array aggregate 50 shown in FIG. 12 is obtained. The back surface resin layer 49a can block one surface (that is, one exposed surface) of the cell array assembly 44 so as not to be opened as an optical path.

(Coating layer grinding process)
Next, the back surface resin layer 49a of the resin-coated cell array assembly 50 is ground to a predetermined thickness d51 so that the first scintillator cell array and the second scintillator cell array are not exposed. In this way, as shown in FIG. 13, a scintillator array assembly 52 integrally including a cell array assembly 44 having a predetermined thickness d43 and a back surface resin layer 49b having a predetermined thickness d51 is obtained (step A9). ). By grinding the back surface resin layer 49a, the scintillator array aggregate 52 can be defined to have a constant thickness in the X direction. The definition of the dimension in the X direction (that is, the thickness) also defines the thickness of the scintillator array to a constant thickness.

(Separation process)
Next, in the scintillator array assembly 52, the resin layer 53 between the first scintillator cell array 28c and the second scintillator cell array 29c in the adjacent set is cut with a rotary grindstone for cutting. Further, the rotary grindstone for cutting the resin layer 23a between the first scintillator cell array 28c and the end portion 34b of the first scintillator stick, and the resin layer 24a between the second scintillator cell array 29c and the end portion 35b of the second scintillator stick. Disconnect with. That is, by these cuttings, the scintillator array aggregate (originally resin cured aggregate) is cut at the resin layer between adjacent pairs of the first cell array and the second cell array, and the first cell array and the second cell array Divided into pairs. A plurality of dual-array scintillator arrays can be obtained by dividing by cutting.

  One of the resulting dual array scintillator arrays is shown in FIG. One dual-array scintillator array has a first scintillator cell array and a second scintillator cell array, and has a resin layer (that is, an outer peripheral portion) that covers the scintillator cell arrays (step A10). The first scintillator cell array (28c) corresponds to a plurality of first scintillator cells 28d arranged in one column. The second scintillator cell array (29c) corresponds to a plurality of second scintillator cells 29d arranged in one column. The Z direction dimension is L3.

  In FIG. 14, a plurality of first scintillator cells 28d arranged in a row and a plurality of second scintillator cells 29d arranged in a row are arranged in parallel via an intermediate layer 21b derived from the resin layer 21a. One first scintillator cell 28d and one second scintillator cell 29d that are adjacent in the Z direction are accurately positioned in the Z direction and the Y direction.

  In Step A9 and subsequent steps, the outer peripheral resin layers (including the resin layer 23b and the resin layer 24b) can be ground to predetermined dimensions in order to adjust the outer shape. The outer peripheral portion and the intermediate layer 21b are all resin layers having the same composition. However, the first scintillator cell 28d and the second scintillator cell 29d are exposed only on the front surface 54 of the scintillator array, and each cell constitutes a light emitting surface.

[2] Second Embodiment FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a scintillator array according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Since the method according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the method according to the first embodiment except for some steps, description of the same steps is omitted. Therefore, for the steps whose description is omitted, refer to the description of the first embodiment.

  Steps A1, A2 and A3 are the same as in the first embodiment.

  On the other hand, Step a1 ′ is the same as Step a1 except that the Z-direction dimension of the second scintillator substrate is changed to w62. However, the width w62 is formed to be a dimension obtained by adding the dimension of the spacer in the first embodiment (corresponding to g25 in FIG. 6) to the width w12 of the second scintillator stick 13 (see FIG. 5).

  FIG. 16 shows the stick bonded body obtained in step A3 of the second embodiment. In this stick bonded body, one first scintillator stick 6 and one second scintillator stick 13 'are paired in parallel via a resin layer 21a. That is, one first scintillator stick 6 and one second scintillator stick 13 'included in one stick joined body correspond to a pair of first scintillator stick and second scintillator stick.

  In FIG. 16, the portion of the second scintillator stick 13 ′ that is wider than the second scintillator stick 13 is removed by cutting in the subsequent step A5 ′. ). The margin 15 in the Z direction from the one-dot chain line is a margin 15. The cutting of the allowance 15 described later corresponds to cutting a portion where the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are in contact with each other to form a gap. One end face of the stick joined body corresponds to the end face 7 of the first scintillator stick, and the other end face of the stick joined body corresponds to the end face 14 'of the second scintillator stick. The length and X dimension of the wide second scintillator stick 13 ′ are the same as those of the second scintillator stick 13. W5 and g22, which are some dimensions in the stick bonded body 10 ', are also the same as the stick bonded body 10.

(Gap formation process)
Next, in step A4 ′, as shown in FIG. 17, a plurality of sets of first scintillator sticks 6 and wide second scintillators are disposed on the front surface 17 of the first support plate 16 via an adhesive (not shown). The sticks 13 '(that is, a plurality of sets of stick joined bodies 10') are arranged in parallel so that the end faces are in contact with each other. Unlike the first embodiment, the second embodiment does not include a spacer or the like between the scintillator sticks. The back surface 26 of the first scintillator stick and the back surface 27b of the wide second scintillator stick are exposed.

  Next, the edge on one side of the wide second scintillator stick 13 'is cut in a lump in parallel with the XY plane (that is, in the Y direction) using a cutting grindstone 4d as shown in FIG. (Cutting in the Y direction). That is, this cutting is a cutting in a plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the surface of the support plate, and the edge on one side including the end face can be scraped off with a rotating grindstone. Such a cut in the Y direction is performed on one edge of each stick joined body 10 '. At that time, the cutting grindstone is shifted in the Z direction at an equal pitch, and the cutting in the Y direction is repeated a plurality of times.

  In the cutting in the Y direction by the cutting grindstone 4d, the edge on one side corresponds to the margin 15 provided on the scintillator stick 13 '. The edge on one side is parallel to the first scintillator stick in the adjacent set. The trace from which the edge on one side is removed by cutting becomes a gap G69 between the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in the adjacent set.

  Next, as in the first embodiment, the cutting grindstone 4c is used, and the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick after cutting are collectively parallel to the XZ plane (that is, in the Z direction). Cut (cut in the Z direction). Next, the cutting grindstone 4c is translated by a predetermined distance along the Y direction, and then the cutting in the Z direction is performed again. Similarly, the cutting grindstone 4c is translated in the Y direction at an equal pitch, and the cutting in the Z direction is repeated a plurality of times. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of first scintillator cell arrays 28e and second scintillator cell arrays 29e can be obtained on the support plate 16 (step A5 '). The gap G30, the gap G31, the width w32, the width w33, the length L18, the end portion 34a, the end portion 35a, and the like are the same as those in FIG. In FIG. 17, the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in adjacent groups are arranged with their adjacent end surfaces in contact with each other. As shown in FIG. 18, a gap can be formed without using a spacer or a jig by cutting the contacted portion.

  Next, Step A6 and subsequent steps are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain a dual array type scintillator array. In the method of the second embodiment, it is possible to accurately form the gap between the first scintillator cell 28e and the second scintillator cell 29e in the adjacent set using a rotating grindstone without using a spacer. Saves handling of spacers and adjustment of scintillator stick placement. Therefore, it is more efficient than the first embodiment in terms of forming a gap between adjacent groups.

  In the second embodiment, only the second scintillator stick in the stick joined body is set with a margin for forming a gap by cutting (more specifically, cutting with a rotating grindstone). However, it is possible to change to other settings as described below. For example, the width of the first scintillator stick in the stick bonded body is formed so as to be a dimension obtained by adding the width (corresponding to the dimension g25) of the second spacer in the first embodiment to the width w5. In other words, the wide first scintillator stick has a margin at one edge. The width of the second scintillator stick is configured as w12 in the first embodiment. If the position and pitch of the cutting grindstone 4d are adjusted so as to correspond to the change in the cutting margin, the first scintillator cell array 28e and the second scintillator cell array 29e can be obtained in the same manner as in step A5 ′ described above. it can.

  In addition, the setting of the second embodiment can be changed to another setting as described below. For example, the width of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick is set in the stick joined body so that the cutting margin extends over the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in the adjacent sets. That is, the cutting margin is provided in both of the adjacent stick joined bodies. Specifically, the width of the first scintillator stick is formed large in one set so that the dimension obtained by adding the half of the dimension g22 and the dimension g25 to the width w5 is obtained. The width of the second scintillator stick is formed larger in the other set so that the dimension obtained by adding the dimension g22 and the dimension g25 to a half is added to the width w12.

  Then, if the position and pitch of the cutting grindstone 4d are adjusted so as to correspond to the change in the cutting margin, the first scintillator cell array 28e and the second scintillator cell array 29e are obtained in the same manner as in step A5 ′ described above. be able to. Then, the boundary where the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick which are wide are in contact (that is, the boundary where the stick joints are in contact with each other) is cut with a rotating grindstone, so the first in the adjacent pair The gap between the scintillator cell 28e and the second scintillator cell 29e can be formed with higher accuracy.

[3] Third Embodiment FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a scintillator array according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as the method according to the first embodiment except for some steps, description of the same steps is omitted. Therefore, for the steps whose description is omitted, refer to the description of the first embodiment.

  In the method of the third embodiment, steps A1 to A6, step A10, and step a1 are the same as those of the first embodiment. It differs from the method of the first embodiment in that step A7 is changed to step A7 ′ and step A8 and step A9 are omitted.

  After step A6, the resin damming films 36aF, 36aR, 36aB, 36aL, the first support plate 16 and the like are removed to obtain the cured resin assembly 40 shown in FIG. Grinding is performed to remove the thin adhesive remaining on the front surface 41 of the cured resin assembly and expose the light emitting surface. Next, the back surface 42 of the cured resin assembly is also ground to partially remove the resin 37a on the back surface 42 side so that the thickness becomes the sum of d43 and d51 (step A7 ′). By this double-side grinding, a scintillator array assembly having a cell array assembly having a thickness d43 and a layer of resin 37a having a thickness d51 on the back surface side is obtained. The configuration of this scintillator array assembly is the same as that of the scintillator array assembly 52 of FIG.

  Next, Step A10 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain a dual array type scintillator array. The third embodiment can reduce the man-hours compared to the first embodiment.

[4] Fourth Embodiment The fourth embodiment is the same as the second embodiment except that step A7 is replaced with step A7 ′ and steps A8 and A9 are omitted in the second embodiment. . However, the number of man-hours can be made shorter than in the second embodiment. Step A7 ′ is the same as that in the third embodiment.

Example 1
Using the method of the first embodiment, from the first scintillator substrate made of a yttrium-aluminum-garnet ceramic scintillator sintered body and the second scintillator substrate made of a GOS ceramic scintillator sintered body, under the following conditions: A dual array scintillator array shown in FIG. 14 was produced.

  Glass plates with smooth surfaces were used as the first support plate and the second support plate. A pressure-sensitive double-sided adhesive film was used as the adhesive, and a stainless steel round bar was used as the spacer pin. A thermosetting epoxy resin containing white titanium oxide powder was used as the resin for the reflecting material. A diamond grindstone was used as the rotating grindstone. In the scintillator array obtained by the method of the first embodiment, the cell array has a sufficiently high dimensional accuracy. Compared to the method of arranging the scintillator cells individually, the scintillator cells were arranged efficiently and a dual array type scintillator array could be produced.

Example 2
Using the method of the second embodiment, a dual array scintillator array was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that a pressure-sensitive adhesive was applied as an adhesive. The cell arrangement in the obtained scintillator array had sufficiently high dimensional accuracy. And the scintillator cell was arranged efficiently and the dual array type scintillator array was able to be produced.

Example 3
A dual array type scintillator array was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the method of the third embodiment was used. The cell arrangement in the obtained scintillator array had sufficiently high dimensional accuracy. And the scintillator cell was arranged efficiently and the dual array type scintillator array was able to be produced.

Example 4
A dual array scintillator array was fabricated under the same conditions as in Example 2 except that step A7 in the second embodiment was replaced with step A7 ′ in the third embodiment and steps A8 and A9 were omitted. The number of steps is shorter than that of the second embodiment, and the cell arrangement in the obtained scintillator array has a sufficiently high dimensional accuracy. And the scintillator cell was arranged efficiently and the dual array type scintillator array was able to be produced.

  The method of the present invention having the above features is suitable for manufacturing a scintillator array used for a detector of a medical CT apparatus or a detector of a CT apparatus for baggage inspection.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st scintillator board | substrate L2 ... Length of 1st scintillator board | substrate 3 ... Laminated board 4c, 4d ... Rotary grindstone for cutting w5 ... Z direction dimension of 1st scintillator board | substrate 6 ... First scintillator stick 7 ... end face 8 of first scintillator stick ... second scintillator substrate t9 ... thickness of stick joined body 10 ... stick joined body 10 '... stick joined body 11 ··· Resin layer w12 ··· Z-direction dimension of second scintillator substrate 13 ··· second scintillator stick 13 '··· wide second scintillator stick 14 ··· end surface 14' ··· of second scintillator stick End face 15 of the second scintillator stick ... Cut edge 16 ... First support plate 17 ... First support plate surface L18 ... First support plate Length w20 of the first support plate 21a ... resin layer 21b ... intermediate layer g22 of the scintillator array ... Z-direction dimensions 23a, 23b of the resin layer 11 ... of the first scintillator cell array Peripheral resin layers 24a, 24b ... Outer resin layer g25 of second scintillator cell array ... Dimensions 26 between first and second scintillator sticks in adjacent groups ... of first scintillator stick Back surface 27 ... Back surface 27b of the second scintillator stick ... Wide back surface 28a, 28c, 28e of the second scintillator stick ... First scintillator cell array 28d ... First scintillator cells 29a, 29c, 29e ... second scintillator cell array 29d ... second scintillator cell G30 The gap G31 of the first scintillator cell array, the gap w32 of the second scintillator cell array, the width w33 of one scintillator cell, the widths 34a, 34b of the scintillator cell array, the end 35a of the first scintillator stick, 35b ... second scintillator stick ends 36a, 36aF, 36aB, 36aL, 36aR, 36b, 36bF, 36bB, 36bL, 36bR ... films 37a, 37b ... resin G39 ... in the adjacent group Gap 40 between 1 scintillator stick and second scintillator stick ... Resin cured assembly 41 ... Front side 42 of resin cured assembly ... Back surface d43 of resin cured assembly d ... of cell array assembly Thickness 44 ... cell array aggregate 47 ... resin layer 4 surrounding the outer periphery 8 ... Second support plates 49a, 49b ... Back side resin layer 50 ... Resin-coated cell array aggregate d51 ... Back side resin layer thickness 52 ... Scintillator array aggregate 53 ... Resin layer 54 between scintillator cell arrays in adjacent groups ... Front surface w62 of scintillator array ... Width G69 of wide second scintillator stick ... Between first scintillator stick and second scintillator stick in adjacent group Gap

Claims (6)

A method of manufacturing a dual array type scintillator array,
A laminating step of laminating a first scintillator substrate and a second scintillator substrate having a composition different from that of the first scintillator substrate via a resin layer; and
A stick forming step of forming a plurality of first scintillator sticks and second scintillator sticks in parallel through a resin layer by cutting the laminated substrate a plurality of times;
A fixing step of fixing a plurality of sets of the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in parallel on a support plate;
The first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick fixed on the support plate are cut a plurality of times, so that a first cell array in which the first scintillator cells are arranged in one row and a second cell array in which the second scintillator cells are arranged in one row, An array forming step of arranging a plurality of sets in parallel;
After the resin for the reflective material is filled and cured to cover the first cell array and the second cell array, the support plate is removed, thereby integrating the plurality of sets of the first cell array and the second cell array. A coating process to form a typical resin cured assembly;
A dividing step of dividing the cured resin aggregate into groups of the first cell array and the second cell array by cutting a resin layer between adjacent pairs of the first cell array and the second cell array. A manufacturing method of a scintillator array characterized.   2. The method of manufacturing a scintillator array according to claim 1, wherein, following the covering step, both surfaces of the resin-cured aggregate are ground so that the first cell array and the second cell array are integrated with a predetermined thickness. Forming a typical cell array assembly, and then adding an exposed surface coating step of coating one exposed surface of the first cell array and the second cell array in the cell array assembly with a resin for a second reflector. A method for manufacturing a scintillator array.   3. The method of manufacturing a scintillator array according to claim 2, wherein a coating layer grinding step of grinding the coating layer made of the resin for the second reflecting material to a predetermined thickness is added subsequent to the exposed surface coating step. A manufacturing method of a scintillator array characterized.   2. The scintillator array manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in the fixing step, a spacer is disposed between the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick in adjacent groups, and the first scintillator stick and the second scintillator stick are fixed. Then, a spacer process for removing the spacer is added. A method for manufacturing a scintillator array.   2. The scintillator array manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in the fixing step, the first scintillator sticks and the second scintillator sticks in adjacent groups are arranged with the adjacent end faces in contact with each other, and at the places where they are in contact with each other. A method for manufacturing a scintillator array, comprising adding a gap forming step of forming a gap by cutting. The scintillator array manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein in the gap forming step,
A method of manufacturing a scintillator array, comprising cutting at least one of end faces facing each other in a pair adjacent to each other, the surface being perpendicular to a support plate.

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