JP2686530B2 - Radiation image conversion panel having layer with regulated refractive index - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a radiation image conversion panel using a stimulable phosphor, and more particularly to a radiation image conversion panel that can withstand long-term use. It is.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Radiation images such as X-ray images are often used for disease diagnosis and the like.

In order to obtain this X-ray image, an X-ray image conversion method for directly extracting an image from a phosphor layer instead of a silver halide photosensitive material has been devised.

This method uses radiation transmitted through the subject (generally X-rays)
Is absorbed by the phosphor, and thereafter, the phosphor is excited by, for example, light or heat energy, thereby radiating the radiation energy accumulated by the phosphor as the above-mentioned absorption as fluorescence. It is a method to become.

Specifically, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,527 and JP-A-55-12144 disclose a radiation image conversion method using a stimulable phosphor and using visible light or infrared light as stimulating excitation light.

This method uses a radiation image conversion panel (hereinafter abbreviated as a conversion panel) having a stimulable phosphor layer (hereinafter abbreviated as abbreviated layer) formed on a support. The latent energy is formed by irradiating the radiation that has passed through the subject and accumulating the radiation energy corresponding to the radiation transmittance of each part of the subject, and then the latent image is scanned by the stimulated excitation light of the photostimulable layer Radiation energy is emitted and converted into light, and an image is obtained by an optical signal depending on the intensity of the light.

This final image may be reproduced as a hard copy or reproduced on a CRT.

The conversion panel used in this radiation image conversion method emits the stored energy by scanning the stimulating excitation light after accumulating the radiation image information, so that the radiation image can be accumulated again after the scanning, and can be used repeatedly. It is possible.

Therefore, it is desirable that the conversion panel has a performance that can withstand long-time use or repeated use many times without deteriorating the image quality of the obtained radiation image. For this purpose, the photostimulable layer in the conversion panel needs to be sufficiently protected from external physical or chemical stimuli.

In the conventional conversion panel, in order to solve the above problems, a method of providing a protective layer for covering the photostimulable layer surface on the support of the conversion panel has been adopted.

This protective layer is formed by directly applying a coating liquid for a protective layer on the photostimulable layer, as described in, for example, JP-A-59-42500, or a protective layer formed separately in advance. It is formed by a method of bonding on the exhausted layer.

Generally, a thin protective layer made of an organic polymer is used. The thin protective layer has the advantage that the sharpness of the conversion panel is hardly reduced.

Table 1 shows the relationship between the sharpness of the conversion panel having the stimulable layer and the thickness of the protective layer using MTFs (modulation transfer functions) at spatial frequencies of 1 lp / mm and 2 lp / mm.

As shown in the table, the sharpness is reduced by having the protective layer, and the sharpness is further reduced as the protective layer is thicker.
The cause of this is that the reflected scattered light of the incident stimulated excitation light on the surface of the stimulated layer is reflected at the protective layer-air interface and re-enters the stimulated layer. The thicker the protective layer is, the farther the reflected and scattered light reaches, and the information outside the target pixel is mixed.

In a general intensifying screen-film system used for X-ray photography, the MTF at 1 lp / mm is about 65%, and that at 2 lp / mm is about 35%.
%, It is not preferable for the conversion panel to be inferior to the numerical value of the intensifying screen-film system. Therefore, the thickness of the protective layer is desirably 10 μm or less.

However, even if the protective layer has a thickness of 10 μm, the sharpness is reduced as described above due to the presence of the protective layer. For example, a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 10 μm (hereinafter simply abbreviated as “PET”) has a moisture permeability of about 60 (g / m ² · 24 hr), and transmits 60 g of water per unit area per day. I do. For OPP (stretched polypropylene) with a film thickness of 10 μm, the value is about 15 (g / m ² · 24 hr). Therefore, if the water vapor transmission rate of the protective layer is 1 (g / m ² · 24hr) or less, it is about 6 by PET.
The thickness is preferably not less than 00 μm and not less than about 150 μm in OPP.

Also, if the protective layer is thickened, the moisture permeability can be reduced,
As described above, the sharpness is further reduced.

It has been desired to prevent the sharpness of the conversion panel from lowering due to the provision of the protective layer for improving the strength and impact resistance.

[Object of the invention]

In line with the above requirements in a conversion panel using a stimulable phosphor, the object of the present invention is to sufficiently protect the stimulable layer against external chemical stimuli, particularly moisture, without impairing the sharpness of the image. A high-sensitivity, high-sharpness and high-graininess of the photostimulable layer can be maintained for a long period of time, and a conversion panel with high durability and durability that can be used in good condition can be provided. .

Another object of the present invention is to improve the durability and durability for long-term and repeated use by sufficiently protecting the photostimulable layer against external physical stimuli without impairing the sharpness of an image. To provide a conversion panel.

[Configuration of the invention]

The object of the present invention, a stimulable phosphor layer on a support,
A radiation image conversion panel having at least one protective layer, wherein a layer having a lower refractive index than the protective layer is provided between the photostimulable phosphor layer and the protective layer, following the protective layer.
A layer having a higher refractive index than the low refractive index layer is provided between the low refractive index layer and the stimulable phosphor layer following the low refractive index layer, and the high refractive index layer is further provided. Subsequently, the radiation image conversion panel is achieved by using the stimulable phosphor layer.

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross section of a conversion panel of the present invention, where 1 is a protective layer, 2 is a first layer, 3 is a second layer, 4
Is a photostimulable layer, and 5 is a support.

Hereinafter, the first layer may be referred to as a low refractive index layer and the second layer may be referred to as a high refractive index layer.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-63929 discloses an image recording / reading device in which a filter means is provided in front of the image storage layer to increase the excitation light absorbed in the image storage layer to increase the reading sensitivity. There is. The present invention has a technical idea different from that of the above invention, and an object thereof is to provide a conversion panel excellent in durability and durability without impairing the sharpness of an image.

 Hereinafter, each component requirement will be described in more detail.

As the protective layer of the present invention, a layer having good light transmission and capable of being formed in a sheet shape can be used. For example, sheet glass such as quartz, borosilicate glass, chemically strengthened glass, PET, O
Organic polymers such as PP and polyvinyl chloride are exemplified.

The protective layer of the present invention may be a single layer, a multilayer, or may be composed of two or more types of layers having different materials. For example, a film in which two or more organic polymer films are combined can be used. Examples of a method for producing such a composite polymer film include methods such as dry lamination, extrusion lamination, and coextrusion coating lamination. The combination of the two or more protective layers is not limited to organic polymers, but may be plate glasses or a combination of a glass sheet and an organic polymer layer. For example, as a method of combining a sheet glass and a polymer layer, there is a method in which a coating liquid for a protective layer is directly applied to the sheet glass to form the sheet, or a method in which a separately formed polymer protective layer is bonded to the sheet glass. . The two or more protective layers may be in close contact with each other or may be separated from each other.

The thickness of the protective layer of the present invention is practically 10 μm to 3 mm. The thickness of the protective layer is preferably 100 μm or more in order to obtain good moisture resistance and impact resistance, and especially when a protective layer of 500 μm or more is provided, a conversion panel excellent in durability and durability can be obtained. preferable.

Further, when a sheet glass is used as the protective layer, it is extremely excellent in moisture resistance and is particularly preferable.

The protective layer desirably exhibits a high transmittance in a wide wavelength range in order to transmit the stimulating excitation light and the stimulating light efficiently, and the transmittance is preferably 80% or more. For example quartz glass,
Borosilicate glass and the like can be mentioned. 330 nm for borosilicate glass
It shows a transmittance of 80% or more in the wavelength range of 2.62.6 μm, and quartz glass shows a high transmittance even at a shorter wavelength.

Further, it is preferable to provide an antireflection layer such as MgF _{2 on} the surface of the protective layer, because it has the effects of efficiently transmitting the stimulating excitation light and the stimulating luminescence and reducing the decrease in sharpness. The refractive index of the protective layer is not particularly specified, but most practically used materials have a refractive index between 1.4 and 2.0.

The low refractive index layer of the present invention is made of a material having a lower refractive index than the protective layer. For example, the substances shown in Table 2 can be used, and they are preferably used in the state of a thin film formed by a vapor deposition method. Alternatively, the liquid layers shown in Table 3 can be used. Further, as the low refractive index layer of the present invention, it is preferable to use a layer having a refractive index of substantially 1 such as a gas layer of air, nitrogen, argon or the like, or a vacuum layer because the effect of preventing sharpness reduction is high.

The thickness of the low refractive index layer of the present invention is practically 0.05 μm to 3 mm.

The high refractive index layer in the present invention is made of a substance having a higher refractive index than the low refractive index layer. For example, an organic polymer film such as PET may be used, or a vapor deposition material used for an antireflection film or the like may be used. As the vapor deposition material, for example, those shown in Table 4 can be used.

The thickness of the high refractive index layer of the present invention is practically from 30 nm to 500 μm, but is preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 10 μm or less in order to enhance the effect of reducing the deterioration of sharpness.

The high refractive index layer may be in close contact with the stimulating layer,
You may be separated. One method is to use an adhesive to bring the high refractive index layer and the stimulating layer into close contact. In that case, the refractive index of the adhesive is the refractive index of the stimulating layer or the refractive index of the high refractive index layer. Is preferable.

When a gas layer or a vacuum layer is provided as the low refractive index layer in the present invention, there is a method of providing a spacer 6 at the side edge portion of the conversion panel to maintain a constant thickness, for example, as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a gas layer or a vacuum layer may be provided by dispersing a spacer material 7 between the protective layer and the high refractive index layer. As the spacer material, for example, a fine glass fiber piece having a diameter of several μm used as a spacer material of a liquid crystal panel can be used.

The stimulable phosphor used in the present invention may be stimulated (stimulated excitation) such as optically, thermally, mechanically, chemically or electrically after irradiation of the first light or high-energy radiation.
Thus, the phosphor that shows stimulated emission corresponding to the irradiation amount of the first light or high-energy radiation, but is preferably a phosphor that shows stimulated emission by stimulated excitation light of 500 nm or more from a practical viewpoint. . The stimulable phosphor, BaSO are described, for example, JP-A-48-80487 _4: AX, SrSO are described in JP-A-48-80489 _4: AX, JP 53-3
9277 No. of _{Li 2 B 4 O 7: Cu} , Ag , etc., Li ₂ O · in JP 54-47883
_{(B 2 O 2) x:} Cu and _{Li 2 O · (B 2 O} 2) x: Cu, Ag , etc., U.S. Patent
Examples include phosphors represented by SrS: Ce, Sm, SrS: Eu, Sm, La ₂ O ₂ S: Eu, Sm, and (Zn, Cd) S: Mn, X of 3,859,527.

Further, ZnS: Cu, Pb described in JP-A-55-12142
Phosphor, the general formula BaO · xAl ₂ O _3: barium aluminate phosphor represented by Eu, and the general formula M ^II O · xSiO _2: alkaline earth metal silicate phosphor represented by A and the like . Further, the general formulas described in _{JP-A-55-12143 (Ba 1 -x-yMgxCay)} FX: eEu alkaline earth fluoride halide phosphor represented by ^2+, JP 55-12144 The phosphor represented by the general formula LnOX: xA described in JP-A-55-12145 and the phosphor represented by the general formula (Ba ₁ -xM ^II x) FX: yA described in JP-A-55-12145, Phosphor represented by the general formula BaFX: xCe, yA described in JP-A-55-84389, rare earth represented by the general formula M ^II FXxA: yLn described in JP-A-55-160087 Element-activated divalent metal fluorohalide phosphor, phosphor represented by the general formula ZnS: A, CdS: A, (Zn, Cd) S: A, ZnA: A, X and CdS: A, X, JP Phosphor represented by any one of the following general formulas xM ₃ (PO ₄ ) ₂ · NX ₂ : yA M ₃ (PO ₄ ) ₂ : yA described in Sho 59-38278, and one of the following general formulas nReX ₃・ MAX ′ ₂ : xEu nReX ₃・ mAX ′ ₂ : xEu, ySm phosphor represented by the following general formula M ^I X · aM ^II X ′ ₂ · bM ^III X ″ ₃ : cA Alkali halide phosphors represented by etc. are mentioned. In particular, alkali halide phosphors are easy to form a photostimulable layer by vapor deposition, sputtering, etc. preferable.

However, the stimulable phosphor used in the conversion panel according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described phosphor, and a phosphor that exhibits stimulable emission when irradiated with stimulating excitation light after being irradiated with radiation. Any phosphor may be used.

The conversion panel of the present invention may be a stimulable layer group comprising one or more stimulable layers containing at least one of the stimulable phosphors. The stimulable phosphors contained in each stimulable layer may be the same or different.

The stimulable layer of the present invention may be formed by any of a coating method and a vapor phase growth method.

The layer thickness of the stimulable layer of the panel of the present invention is different depending on the intended sensitivity of the conversion panel to radiation, the type of stimulable phosphor, etc., but when no binder is contained, 10 μm to 1000 μm.
m, more preferably selected from the range of 20μm ~ 800μm, when containing a binder 20μm
m to 1000 μm, more preferably 50 μm to 500 μm
It is preferably selected from the range of m.

As the support of the conversion panel of the present invention, various polymer materials, glass, ceramics, metals and the like are used.

Examples of the polymer material include films of cellulose acetate film, polyester film, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polyimide, triacetate, polycarbonate and the like. Examples of the metal include a metal sheet or metal plate of aluminum, iron, copper, chromium or the like, or a metal sheet or metal plate having a coating layer of the metal oxide. Examples of the glass include chemically strengthened glass and crystallized glass. Examples of the ceramic include a sintered plate of alumina or zirconia.

Further, the layer thickness of these supports depends on the material of the support to be used and the like, but is generally 80 μm to 2000 μm,
From the viewpoint of handling, more preferably 80 μm to 100 μm.
m.

The surface of the support may be a smooth surface or a mat surface for the purpose of improving the adhesion to the stimulable phosphor layer. Also, the surface of the support may be an uneven surface,
A surface structure in which minute tile plates independent of each other are densely arranged may be used.

Further, on these supports, an undercoat layer may be provided on the surface on which the stimulable layer is provided for the purpose of improving the adhesiveness with the stimulable layer, and if necessary, a light reflecting layer and a light absorbing layer may be provided. May be provided.

In the conversion panel of the present invention, it is desirable to seal the side edges of the protective layer and the support in order to obtain further moisture resistance. Examples of the sealing method include a method using glass fusion or an adhesive. Examples of the adhesive include an epoxy resin-based adhesive. An adhesive having a low moisture permeability is preferably used.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 61-220492, the radiation image conversion panel precursor comprising the support and the photostimulable layer is housed in a protective bag made of a polymer film, and the side edges are sealed. Good. In this case, the low refractive index layer may be formed on the surface of the photostimulation layer in advance, or may be formed on the surface of the protective bag facing the photostimulation layer. Alternatively, a low refractive index layer may be formed by providing a gas layer or a vacuum layer between the protective layer and the photostimulable layer.

As a method for sealing the protective bag, a heat sealing method, a high frequency sealing method, an ultrasonic sealing method, or the like is preferable, but a method of applying an adhesive and then pressing or thermocompressing may be used.

In the conversion panel of the present invention, the protective layer may also serve as a support. In that case, the support referred to in the present invention may not substantially have the ability to support the photostimulable layer.

The conversion panel of the present invention is used in a radiation image conversion method schematically shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 4, 41 is a radiation generator, 42
Is a subject, 43 is a conversion panel according to the present invention, 44 is a photostimulated excitation light source, 45 is a photoelectric conversion device that detects photostimulated fluorescence emitted from the conversion panel, and 46 is a signal reproduced at 45 as an image. Device 47, a device for displaying a reproduced image,
Reference numeral 48 denotes a filter that separates stimulable excitation light from stimulable fluorescence and transmits only stimulable fluorescence. Note that, after 45, it is only necessary that the optical information from 43 can be reproduced as an image in some form, and it is not limited to the above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the radiation from the radiation generator 41 enters the conversion panel 43 through the subject. The incident radiation is absorbed by the photostimulable layer of the panel 43, and its energy is accumulated, thereby forming an accumulated radiation transmission image.

Next, this accumulated image is excited by stimulating light from the stimulating light source 44 and emitted as stimulating light.

Since the intensity of the emitted stimulating luminescence is proportional to the amount of the accumulated radiation energy, this optical signal is photoelectrically converted by a photoelectric conversion device 45 such as a photomultiplier tube, and reproduced as an image by an image reproduction device 46. By displaying the image on the display device 47, a radiographic image of the subject can be observed.

〔Example〕

 Next, the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

Example 1 An alkali halide phosphor (RbBr; 0.0006Tl) was vapor-deposited on a crystallized glass support having a thickness of 500 μm by a vapor deposition apparatus to a thickness of 300 μm.

Next, a protective layer having a thickness of 550 μm, a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer were provided on the photostimulable layer in the combination shown in Table 5. However, the numerical value in parentheses in the table indicates the refractive index.

In addition, as a comparative example, Comparative Example A in which a protective layer was adhered to the stimulant layer with an adhesive without using a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer using the same support and stimulative layer as in Example 6 is shown in Table 6. It was set up like.

Comparative example Also in the above sample, vacuum drying was performed for 1 hour at 80 ° C. and 10 ⁻³ torr, and then the side edges of the support and the protective layer were sealed with an epoxy resin adhesive.

The samples were checked for moisture resistance and MTF sharpness.

Examples 1, 2, 3 and Comparative Example A showed good moisture resistance and
Even when left for 48 hours at 0 ℃ and 90% humidity, the radiation sensitivity did not decrease at all, and the decay of the accumulated energy until the irradiation of stimulated excitation light was slight.

In Sample 4, some deterioration was recognized, but there was no problem in practical use.

Table 7 shows the spatial frequencies of each sample at 1lp / mm and 2lp / mm.
MTF indicated. In Comparative Example A, the sharpness is remarkably lowered by providing the glass protective layer of 550 μm, whereas
Specimens 1, 2, 3, and 4 have the same thick protective layer of 550 μm, but the deterioration of sharpness is small.

In particular, Samples 2, 3, and 4 had high sharpness and showed clinically acceptable performance.

[Advantages of the Invention] The present invention provides a radiation image conversion panel having a stimulable phosphor layer and at least one protective layer on a support, wherein a protective layer is provided between the stimulable phosphor layer and the protective layer. Also has a first layer having a low refractive index, and a second layer having a higher refractive index than the first layer is provided between the first layer and the stimulable phosphor layer, thereby chemically and physically stimulating. When the protective layer is provided to protect the panel from the above, it is possible to improve the sharpness of the panel.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing a configuration example of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a radiation image conversion method using a conversion panel.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A radiation image conversion panel having a stimulable phosphor layer on a support and at least one protective layer, comprising:
A layer having a lower refractive index than the protective layer is provided between the stimulable phosphor layer and the protective layer following the protective layer, and between the low refractive index layer and the stimulable phosphor layer. Radiation characterized in that a layer having a higher refractive index than the layer having a lower refractive index is provided subsequent to the layer having a lower refractive index, and the photostimulable phosphor layer is further provided after the layer having a higher refractive index. Image conversion panel.