Evaluation of a high-density scintillating glass for portal imaging

One of the main factors that limits the performance of T.V. camera-based portal imaging systems is the poor light-collection efficiency of the lens and T.V. camera. An x-ray detector that produces more light per incident x-ray would help overcome this limitation. We have been evaluating a high-density (3.8 g/cm(3)), thick (12 mm) glass scintillator for its suitability as an x-ray detector for T.V. camera-based portal imaging systems. The light output and spatial resolution of the glass scintillator has been compared to that of a copper plate/phosphor screen detector using radiographic film and the T.V. camera of our portal imaging system. The film measurements show that the light output of the glass scintillator is 82% of that of the copper plate/phosphor screen, while the T.V. camera measurements show that this value is 48%. A theoretical model of light transport described in this paper suggests that this discrepancy is due to refraction at the glass-air interface. Our measurements of the modulation transfer function (MTF) show that the spatial resolution obtained with the glass scintillator is similar to that obtained with the copper plate phosphor screen. However, the spatial resolution obtained with the glass scintillator decreases as the angle of x-ray incidence increases; this decrease, which is not observed for the copper plate/phosphor screen detector, is due to the large thickness of the glass scintillator. Due to the limited light output and the variable spatial resolution, the transparent glass scintillator, in its current form, is not suitable for portal imaging. (C) 1996 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.