KR102119733B1 - Scintillator panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The scintillator panel according to the present invention includes a substrate including at least one photoelectric conversion element; A scintillator layer formed including a region in which the photoelectric conversion element is disposed on the substrate; An adhesive layer applied on the substrate to form a closed region surrounding the scintillator layer; A first thin film layer attached to the adhesive layer and surrounding the scintillator layer; And a resin layer formed by being laminated on the first thin film layer.

Description

Scintillator panel {SCINTILLATOR PANEL}

The present invention relates to a scintillator panel, and more particularly, to a scintillator panel and a method of manufacturing the same, so that a high quality image can be obtained from a radiation detector by increasing the reflectance of light converted in the scintillator layer.

A typical non-destructive testing method for medical or industrial equipment is to use radiation. Conventionally, a method using a radiation-sensitive film has been used, but recently, a digital radiation detector capable of confirming an image immediately after radiographing is used.

Digital radiation detectors include a direct ionization method that converts radiation into electrical signals and generates a digital radiation image, and an indirect ionization method that converts radiation into visible light through a scintillator to generate an image.

Radiation exposure using digital radiation detectors also poses a risk of radiation exposure, and if the radiation dose is excessive, it is very harmful to the human body. Therefore, it is very important to reduce the amount of radiation used and obtain high-quality radiographic images at the same time. Do.

The scintillator panel according to the embodiment of the present invention is excellent in appearance quality through a first thin film layer and a resin layer stacked thereon, which provide a moisture permeation prevention function, while transmitting radiation well. It is an object to be able to obtain a radiographic image of.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A scintillator panel according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above technical problem includes a substrate including at least one photoelectric conversion element; A scintillator layer formed including a region in which the photoelectric conversion element is disposed on the substrate; An adhesive layer applied on the substrate to form a closed region surrounding the scintillator layer; A first thin film layer attached to the adhesive layer and surrounding the scintillator layer; And a resin layer formed by being laminated on the first thin film layer.

In addition, the first thin film layer may be provided to surround the scintillator layer through surface compression.

In addition, the thickness of the first thin film layer may be 30-100 μm, and the thickness of the resin layer may be 40-50 μm.

In addition, a second thin film layer may be further included between the scintillator layer and the first thin film layer, and the first thin film layer and the second thin film layer may be integrally provided to surround the scintillator layer through surface compression.

In addition, the thickness of the second thin film layer may be 50-150 nm.

In addition, the adhesive layer may include a room temperature curing type curing material or a UV curing material.

In addition, the first thin film layer or the second thin film layer may include a metal or oxide selected from Ag, Cr, Al, Au, Ti and Cu.

The scintillator panel according to the embodiment of the present invention is capable of reducing radiation doses used for radiographic examination through the first thin film layer and the resin layer laminated thereon, while the radiation is well transmitted and the moisture permeation prevention function is provided. It is possible to make the radiation detector obtain a high-quality radiographic image.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a first view showing a cross section of a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a second view showing a cross-section of a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The objectives and effects of the present invention, and technical configurations for achieving them, will be clarified with reference to embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of donations in the present invention, which may vary according to a user's or operator's intention or practice.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms. Only the present examples are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and to fully inform the person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, the scope of the invention being defined by the scope of the claims. It just works. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" or "equipment" a component, this means that other components may be further included, not specifically excluded, unless otherwise stated. .

Hereinafter, a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a first view showing a cross section of a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least one photoelectric conversion element. The photoelectric conversion element (not shown) may be disposed in a predetermined region on the substrate 110. The photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to an electrode pad (not shown) to transmit visible light converted by the scintillator layer 120 as an electrical signal.

A scintillator layer 120 is formed in a region above the substrate 110 on which the photoelectric conversion element is disposed. The scintillator layer 120 may be formed by growing a columnar crystal on the substrate 110. Radiation generated from the radiation generating device is irradiated to the imaging object, and radiation passing through the imaging object reaches the scintillator layer 120 and is converted into light in a predetermined wavelength band. Here, the wavelength band of the converted light may be adjusted to a wavelength band having high photoelectric conversion efficiency when the photoelectric conversion element of the substrate 110 is converted into an electric signal, and the wavelength band may be adjusted by the material of the scintillator layer 120. have.

In the case of the substrate 110, a fiber optical plate (FOP) may be used. FOP refers to an optical fiber bundle made of a plate, and each optical fiber is composed of core glass and clad glass, so if FOP is used as the substrate 110, sufficient space resolution and remaining X -Safety of radiation detectors can be secured by blocking the radiation.

As a material of the scintillator layer 120, for example, CsI (Cesi㎛ Iodide), thallium (Tl) doping CsI, or the like may be used. The scintillator layer 120 is formed on the substrate 110 using a known method, that is, PVD (Physical Vapor Depostion) equipment, by supplying CsI and Tl to the PVD equipment, the pillar of CsI doped with Tl on the FOP. It is preferable to form the scintillator layer 120 by growing the structure. That is, depending on the deposition method and deposition conditions, the scintillator can be grown into an amorphous form or columnar structure, but when CsI is grown into a columnar structure, each pillar acts as an optical guide and improves resolution. .

Since the material of the scintillator layer 120 is deliquescent, it is very vulnerable to moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent moisture from penetrating from the outside. The moisture barrier prevention structure may be formed by the first thin film layer 140, the adhesive layer 130, and the substrate 110. Hereinafter, the adhesive layer 130 and the first thin film layer 140 will be described in relation to the moisture barrier prevention structure.

The scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with an adhesive layer 130 applied on the substrate 110 to form a closed area surrounding the scintillator layer 120. The adhesive layer 130 may be made of a polymer material capable of preventing moisture permeation. Specifically, the adhesive layer 130 may include a room temperature curing type curing material or a UV curing material. For example, a thermosetting curing material and a UV curing material may be added to the room temperature curing material, or a room temperature curing type curing material may be added and used. At this time, in order to supplement the moisture permeation prevention function of the curing material itself, a filler material for lengthening the moisture permeation path may be used together with the curing material.

Next, the first thin film layer 140 is stacked on the scintillator layer 120. At this time, the first thin film layer 140 may include an inorganic material, and the first thin film layer 140 is attached to the adhesive layer 130 applied to the substrate 110 layer, and the upper and lower left and right sides of the scintillator layer 120 are attached. It is provided to cover all. The first thin film layer 140 may be in close contact with the scintillator layer 120 and the adhesive layer 130 through a vacuum surface compression method. For example, while the first thin film layer 140 is located above the scintillator layer 120, the first thin film layer 140 is generated by generating pressure by removing air from the side of the first thin film layer 140 and the scintillator. The scintillator layer 120 can be brought into close contact. Therefore, the first thin film layer 140 may be provided in direct contact with the scintillator layer 120 of columnar crystals.

The first thin film layer 140 may be a metal or oxide selected from Ag, Cr, Al, Au, Ti, and Cu. The inorganic material included in the first thin film layer transmits radiation but does not transmit visible light, so the transmitted radiation can be converted into visible light by the scintillator layer 120, and the converted visible light is transmitted to the first thin film layer 140. It can be reflected and transmitted to the photoelectric conversion element.

Aluminum was used as the inorganic material for the scintillator panel according to the embodiment of the present invention. The first thin film layer 140 including aluminum may be stacked on the scintillator layer 120 by vacuum surface compression. In this case, when laminated through a vacuum surface compression method, bonding with the adhesive layer 130 can be performed well. , The thickness of the first thin film layer 140 is preferably less than about 110 ㎛.

The first thin film layer 140 including aluminum according to the embodiment of the present invention is more preferably about 30-100 μm. The first thin film layer 140 may have a large increase in adhesion with the upper portion of the columnar crystal scintillator layer 120 in a range of about 30-100 μm thick, and thus reflectance of visible light converted by the scintillator layer 120. Not only can be increased, but also the transmittance of the radiation is also increased to increase the sensitivity of the radiation detection (Sensitivity).

On the other hand, the scintillator layer 120 may be formed in a columnar projection shape. Accordingly, when the first thin film layer 140 including aluminum contacts the scintillator layer 120 by a surface compression method, the first thin film layer 140 ) Protrusions may be formed on the exterior. The resin layer 150 laminated by the coating method on the first thin film layer 140 may alleviate the detection of appearance protrusions formed on the first thin film layer 140.

When the thickness of the resin layer 150 stacked on top of the first thin film layer 140 is less than about 10 μm, the appearance quality of the scintillator panel due to the presence of stains due to coating deviation such as protrusions of the first thin film layer 140 is exposed as it is. This can degrade. In order to alleviate the appearance protrusion detection due to the surface compression of the first thin film layer 140, it is preferable that the resin layer 150 of about 40 μm or more is provided. At this time, the scintillator panel according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably within a range not exceeding a thickness of about 110 μm by laminating with the first thin film layer 140 to facilitate applying the vacuum surface compression method. The resin layer 150 is preferably provided with a thickness of less than about 40-80㎛.

2 is a second view showing a cross-section of a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a second thin film layer 160 is further included between the scintillator layer 120 and the first thin film layer 140, and the first thin film layer 140 and the second thin film layer 160 are integrally provided. It may be provided to surround the scintillator layer 120 through surface compression. The second thin film layer 160 may be a metal selected from Ag, Cr, Al, Au, Ti, and Cu or an oxide thereof. At this time, the thickness of the second thin film layer 160 (silver coating layer) is about 50-150 so that the reflectance of visible light can be increased by sufficiently forming the vacuum surface compression through bonding with the first thin film layer 140 including aluminum. It is preferred that it is nm.

Although not shown, a black layer (black layer) may be additionally formed on the first thin film layer 140. The black layer may be provided in a form surrounding the upper and side portions of the first thin film layer 140.

The black layer is used for improving detection performance and protecting the substrate 110, and may be specifically formed by a method of coating a black paint. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied as a black layer using black materials such as black fabric and paper. The black layer may function to increase the resolution by suppressing light scattering and re-reflectance while attached to the first thin film layer 140.

Table 1 below shows reflectance according to the stacking thickness of the resin layer, the first thin film layer, and the second thin film layer of the scintillator panel according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 rescue Resin layer (PET layer) 10 μm 50 μm 50 μm First thin film layer (aluminum thin film layer) 100 μm 40 μm 40 μm Second thin film layer (silver coating layer)
100 nm reflectivity
(Specular reflection) 80% 87% 91%

Table 2 below is a configuration of the scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, L/O (light output), CTF (contrast transfer functio), sensitivity (Sensitivity), and MTF (modulation transfer function) measurement according to the stacking thickness of each part It shows the value.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Test
result L/O 270 296 316 CTF 44 45.5 43 Sensitivity 108 115.9 129 MTF 37 37.5 36.5 Reliability results
(55℃/95%/512hr) Pass Pass Pass

Table 3 below shows the results of evaluating the constant temperature and humidity of the panel according to the embodiment of the present invention, and was performed under a reliability test temperature of 55°C and a humidity of 95%. In the case of Example 2 and Example 3, the appearance moisture permeability was not observed.

Temperature 55℃ / Humidity 95% 0 hr 120 hr 512 hr result Example 2 Sensitivity 119.5 119.2 118.1 -1.4 MTF (2lp) 38.10% 33.70% 34.10% -4.00% Example 3 Sensitivity 120.7 121 121.1 0.4 MTF (2lp) 41.80% 38.70% 37.70% -4.10%

Next, a method of manufacturing a scintillator panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

A photoelectric conversion element is formed in a predetermined area on a surface, and an electrode pad electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element prepares the substrate 110 formed outside the area where the photoelectric conversion element is formed, whereby the photoelectric conversion element on the substrate 110 is formed. The scintillator layer 120 that converts radiation into light in a predetermined wavelength band is grown in the region by growing into columnar crystals.

The scintillator layer 120 may convert radiation that has been irradiated from a radiation generating device to a photographing object and passes through to a light in a predetermined wavelength band, and the material of the scintillator layer 120 may be adjusted to adjust the wavelength band of the converted light. It may be determined, for example, CsI (Cesi㎛ Iodide), thallium (Tl) doping (CsI), etc. may be used.

Next, an adhesive layer 130 is formed on the substrate 110 by applying a cured material to surround the outside of the region where the scintillator layer 120 is formed. However, the adhesive layer 130 may limit the region within the substrate 110 of the scintillator layer 120, and accordingly, the adhesive layer 130 may be formed before the scintillator layer 120 is formed.

The adhesive layer 130 may be formed at a predetermined height on the outer side of the scintillator layer 120, and must have moisture resistance to prevent moisture permeation to the scintillator layer 120. The adhesive layer 130 may be formed by applying a cured material having moisture resistance, but may also be formed by adhering a waterproof tape to simplify the process.

Next, the first thin film layer 140 is formed on the scintillator layer 120 and the adhesive layer 130. The first thin film layer 140 preferably has a property of transmitting visible light and reflecting visible light. As the material of the first thin film layer 140, a metal or a metal oxide may be used. Specifically, metals such as Al, Ag, Cr, Cu, Ni, Ti, Mg, Ph, Pt, Au, or these metals such as TiO2 An oxide of can be used.

In addition, in order to enhance sealing for blocking moisture permeation between the first thin film layer 140 and the adhesive layer 130, a sealing material may be sealed outside the adhesive layer 130. As the sealing material, for example, PANAX SP1101 of Uksung Chemical Co., Ltd. may be used, and it may have properties of natural curing at room temperature as a mixture of modified silicon, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, dehydrating agent, and crosslinking agent.

Next, a method of bonding the metal first thin film layer 140 on the scintillator layer 120 may use a method of surface pressing while maintaining a vacuum. In a state where the first thin film layer 140 including aluminum is laminated on the scintillator layer 120, a vacuum surface compression state is maintained between the scintillator layer 120 and the first thin film layer 140 including aluminum, and aluminum By applying heat and pressure to the portion where the first thin film layer 140 and the scintillator layer 120 are in contact with each other, surface compression may be performed.

In the scintillator panel according to the present invention as described above, in the indirect ionization type X-ray detector, the first thin film layer 140 is disposed on the scintillator layer 120 to diffuse scattering and scattering of visible light generated from the scintillator. By suppressing as much as possible, it is possible to obtain a high-quality X-ray image while reducing radiation exposure.

In the present specification and drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, and although specific terms are used, they are merely used in a general sense to easily describe the technical contents of the present invention and to understand the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope. It is apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modifications based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

110: substrate
120: scintillator layer
130: adhesive layer
140: first thin film layer
150: resin layer
160: second thin film layer

Claims (6)

A substrate including at least one photoelectric conversion element;
A scintillator layer formed including a region in which the photoelectric conversion element is disposed on the substrate;
An adhesive layer applied on the substrate to form a closed region surrounding the scintillator layer;
A first thin film layer attached to the adhesive layer and surrounding the scintillator layer;
A second thin film layer formed between the scintillator layer and the first thin film layer and surrounding the scintillator layer through surface compression integrally with the first thin film layer; And
It includes a resin layer laminated on the first thin film layer to alleviate the detection of the appearance protrusion formed on the first thin film layer by surface pressing the scintillator layer.
The thickness of the first thin film layer is formed to 30-100 µm, and the thickness of the resin layer is formed to 40-50 µm to ease detection of appearance protrusions formed on the first thin film layer and to apply surface compression of the scintillator panel. And
A scintillator panel characterized in that a black layer formed by a black material is formed in a form surrounding the upper and side portions of the first thin film layer on the first thin film layer to improve detection performance and protect the substrate.
delete delete According to claim 1,
The thickness of the second thin film layer is a scintillator panel, characterized in that 50-150 nm.
According to claim 1,
The first thin film layer is a scintillator panel, characterized in that it comprises a metal or oxide selected from Ag, Cr, Al, Au, Ti and Cu.
The method of claim 4,
The second thin film layer is a scintillator panel, characterized in that it comprises a metal or oxide selected from Ag, Cr, Al, Au, Ti and Cu.

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