New Materials for High Energy Colour X-ray Imaging
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Materials
Abstract
Advances in X-ray digital imaging over the last 15 years have revolutionised the way that we observe the world. For example, medical images are improving in resolution and clarity; the automotive and aerospace industries have used tomographic imaging to find faults, cracks and dislocations in sensitive components; the scanners used at airports for baggage surveillance have increased in sophistication and are often using substance recognition techniques and as a final example X-ray imaging cameras have been launched into space in order to provide more detailed information about the origins of our universe. However impressive these developments may be the technology of 3D imaging is severely limited by the currently available detector arrays. The origins of this limitation can be found in the materials that are currently used in these arrays. We wish to develop a new and novel range of semiconductor materials made from heavy elements ideally suited to making array detectors that will operate with high energy X-rays. At present it is not possible to obtain defect free material of area greater than about one square cm and even this cannot be guaranteed. We will rectify this problem and deliver high quality semiconductor material for our applications in addition to supplying material for many other UK applications that are not specifically part of our consortium's proposal.These new materials will have instant applications across the sciences. The use of such materials in these cases is not merely incremental; they will enable entirely new materials to be examined and will give us images of unparalleled quality and information content. We will use the many wavelengths (colour information) present in X-ray sources to fingerprint materials as well as image them. High energy X-rays have the ability to penetrate deeply into materials allowing the examination of dense objects such as welds in steel, geological core sections bearing oil or gas or for the internal observation of chemical reactions inside heavy plant or machinery. The use of higher energy X-rays has a further advantage in medical diagnosis delivering clearer images with lower radiation doses. At present no suitable materials exist anywhere in the world that will satisfy the demanding technical requirements of high energy X-ray imaging. We will establish a UK technology base for the development and production of high purity heavy semiconductor materials. These materials are promising candidate semiconductors that combine high efficiency with good bulk charge transport properties. Over recent years we have made considerable progress in developing the growth of suitable semiconductors. We will develop a process to grow wafers with excellent charge transport which has the potential for scale-up to larger wafer diameters in the later phase of the project. The material will be characterised in terms of electrical and charge transport properties, and this information will be used to optimise the growth and dopant regimes. We will then process the material into detector devices; this will require the development of metal-semiconductor contacts and passivation treatments. This will be carried out at CCLRC and Surrey using dedicated clean rooms. These working devices will then be utilised in the research programmes of Manchester, London, Liverpool Daresbury and the diamond synchrotron light source. These high purity wafers will also be made available for a much wider range of research applications that will be opened up by this manufacturing project.A unique feature of our collaboration is our ability to develop the new materials as well as utilise them with full detector systems. We see this as a vital step in delivering the materials to a diverse scientific audience as well as a route to commercial exploitation. The opportunities for the latter are significant.
Organisations
Publications
Beale AM
(2007)
Tomographic energy dispersive diffraction imaging as a tool to profile in three dimensions the distribution and composition of metal oxide species in catalyst bodies.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Jacques SD
(2006)
Redox behavior of Fe-Mo-O catalysts studied by ultrarapid in situ diffraction.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Beale A
(2009)
An iron molybdate catalyst for methanol to formaldehyde conversion prepared by a hydrothermal method and its characterization
in Applied Catalysis A: General
Sellin P
(2010)
Electric field distributions in CdZnTe due to reduced temperature and x-ray irradiation
in Applied Physics Letters
Mendis B
(2010)
A contactless method for measuring the recombination velocity of an individual grain boundary in thin-film photovoltaics
in Applied Physics Letters
Pani S
(2010)
Characterization of breast tissue using energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction computed tomography.
in Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine
Jacques S
(2009)
Recent progress in the use of in situ X-ray methods for the study of heterogeneous catalysts in packed-bed capillary reactors
in Catalysis Today
Cernik R
(2010)
An in situ high pressure-high temperature powder diffraction study of the formation of a precursor phase of bismuth manganite
in Ceramics International
Middelkoop V
(2009)
Imaging the inside of a Continuous Nanoceramic Synthesizer under Supercritical Water Conditions Using High-Energy Synchrotron X-Radiation
in Chemistry of Materials
Hansson C
(2010)
Coherent imaging using diffracted X-rays
in Crystallography Reports
Description | The majority of resource this basic technology grant has been expended in detector/material development. This has a significant impact in its own right because these are now available for researchers to purchase/exploit. The grant led to 48 publications in system development but also, and critically, demonstrated that colour imaging can successfully image the chemistry and physical structure of an object. We have demonstrated its usefulness in medical biopsy; NDT for light alloys; strain scanning in fabricated components and in the identification of contraband in security imaging. |
First Year Of Impact | 2004 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Construction,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Security and Diplomacy,Transport |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | EPSRC |
Amount | £1,241,448 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/H046577/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2011 |
End | 06/2014 |
Description | EU CORDIS press release |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Raised awareness in EU funding mechanisms Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/35412_en.html |
Description | Online blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Educating Yorkshire Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.eytechnology.org.uk/e/services/Testing-Analysis/Nondestructive-Xray-Investigation.aspx |
Description | Popular article The Guardian |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Considerable feedback Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
URL | http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/mar/20/engineering.research |
Description | Popular article in New Scientist |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Incresed interest Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
URL | http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12977-colour-xray-machine-sees-so-much-more.html#.VGNF8cm8q7s |
Description | Popular article in Physics World |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Increased enquiries Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
URL | http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2008/jan/08/colour-x-ray-images-reveal-more |
Description | TV programme The Naked Scientists |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Shared information about the new scanner Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
URL | http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/news/news/1280/ |
Description | The Engineer web site |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Incresed awareness in engineering Not measured |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.theengineer.co.uk/more-sectors/electronics/news/camera-takes-3d-colour-x-ray-photographs-... |