CORPS DE SCINTILLATEUR ET PROCEDES DE FABRICATION

CORPS DE SCINTILLATEUR AYANT UNE EMISSION OPTIQUE RENFORCEE.IL COMPREND UN LUMINOPHORE QUI ABSORBE LES RADIATIONS ELECTROMAGNETIQUES DE FREQUENCE SUPRA-OPTIQUE ET QUI EMET DES RADIATIONS ELECTROMAGNETIQUES DE LONGUEUR D'ONDE OPTIQUE, ET UN MATERIAU DE MATRICE 15 DANS LEQUEL LE LUMINOPHORE EST EN SUSPENSION, CE MATERIAU ETANT TRANSPARENT AUX RADIATIONS DE LONGUEUR D'ONDE EMISES PAR LE LUMINOPHORE ET PERMEABLE AUX RADIATIONS ELECTROMAGNETIQUES MENTIONNEES, L'INDICE DE REFRACTION DE CE MATERIAU A ENVIRON LA LONGUEUR D'ONDE DE L'EMISSION OPTIQUE DU LUMINOPHORE; ETANT EGAL A L'INDICE DE REFRACTION DE CE LUMINOPHORE A ENVIRON LA LONGUEUR D'ONDE DE SON EMISSION OPTIQUE.APPLICATION A LA TOMOGRAPHIE. Scintillator structures are disclosed in which the phosphor is embedded or suspended in an optically transparent matrix which is selected or adjusted to have an index of refraction which is approximately equal to that of the phosphor embedded therein at the wavelength of the light emitted by the phosphor. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, BaFCl:Eu is embedded in a matrix formed by the polymerization of 2-vinyl napthalene and vinyl toluene. The scintillator structures of the present invention provide superior optical coupling to photoelectrically responsive devices. Also disclosed are methods for manufacturing index-matched phosphor scintillator structures.