Slow‐scan silicon‐intensified target‐TV x‐ray detector for quantitative recording of weak x‐ray images

The construction and performance of a two‐dimensional x‐ray detector is described. X‐rays are detected as scintillations in a thin phosphor screen which is fiber‐optically coupled to a cooled SIT vidicon TV camera tube. The x‐ray image is analog integrated on the vidicon target during an exposure period; afterwards, the x‐ray signal is gated off and the target is read via a slow‐scan, low‐noise readout in a 256×256‐pixel raster. Test data are presented on the performance of a detector based on an 80‐mm SIT tube. The device is shown to be a quantitative, quantum‐limited detector suitable for recording x‐ray diffraction patterns over a wide range of x‐ray intensities. The detector is shown to be especially suited for high count‐rate applications. Current applications of the detector are described.