Flexible digital x-ray technology for far-forward remote diagnostic and conformal x-ray imaging applications

Joseph Smith; Michael Marrs; Mark Strnad; Raj B. Apte; Julie Bert; David Allee; Nicholas Colaneri; Eric Forsythe; David Morton

doi:10.1117/12.2016102

29 May 2013 Flexible digital x-ray technology for far-forward remote diagnostic and conformal x-ray imaging applications

Joseph Smith, Michael Marrs, Mark Strnad, Raj B. Apte, Julie Bert, David Allee, Nicholas Colaneri, Eric Forsythe, David Morton

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8730, Flexible Electronics; 87300F (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016102
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2013, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Today’s flat panel digital x-ray image sensors, which have been in production since the mid-1990s, are produced exclusively on glass substrates. While acceptable for use in a hospital or doctor’s office, conventional glass substrate digital x-ray sensors are too fragile for use outside these controlled environments without extensive reinforcement. Reinforcement, however, significantly increases weight, bulk, and cost, making them impractical for far-forward remote diagnostic applications, which demand rugged and lightweight x-ray detectors. Additionally, glass substrate x-ray detectors are inherently rigid. This limits their use in curved or bendable, conformal x-ray imaging applications such as the non-destructive testing (NDT) of oil pipelines. However, by extending low-temperature thin-film transistor (TFT) technology previously demonstrated on plastic substrate- based electrophoretic and organic light emitting diode (OLED) flexible displays, it is now possible to manufacture durable, lightweight, as well as flexible digital x-ray detectors. In this paper, we discuss the principal technical approaches used to apply flexible display technology to two new large-area flexible digital x-ray sensors for defense, security, and industrial applications and demonstrate their imaging capabilities. Our results include a 4.8″ diagonal, 353 x 463 resolution, flexible digital x-ray detector, fabricated on a 6″ polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) plastic substrate; and a larger, 7.9″ diagonal, 720 x 640 resolution, flexible digital x-ray detector also fabricated on PEN and manufactured on a gen 2 (370 x 470 mm) substrate.

Citation Download Citation

Joseph Smith, Michael Marrs, Mark Strnad, Raj B. Apte, Julie Bert, David Allee, Nicholas Colaneri, Eric Forsythe, and David Morton "Flexible digital x-ray technology for far-forward remote diagnostic and conformal x-ray imaging applications", Proc. SPIE 8730, Flexible Electronics, 87300F (29 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016102

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