Development of X-ray phase CT with a hybrid configuration of Lau and Talbot–Lau interferometers

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Kageyama, Masashi^{a; *} | Okajima, Kenichi^a | Maesawa, Minoru^a | Nonoguchi, Masahiro^a | Nonoguchi, Manabu^a | Kuribayashi, Masaru^a | Hara, Yukihiro^a | Momose, Atsushi^b

Affiliations: [a] Rigaku Corporation, Japan | [b] Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Masashi Kageyama, Rigaku Corporation, 3-9-12 Matsubara-cho, Akishima-shi, Tokyo 196-8666, Japan. E-mail: kageyama@rigaku.co.jp.

Abstract: X-ray phase computed tomography (CT) is used to observe the inside of light materials. In this paper, we report a new study to develop and test a laboratory assembled X-ray phase CT system that comprises an X-ray Lau interferometer, a rotating Mo anode X-ray tube, and a detector with high spatial resolution. The system has a high spatial resolution lower than 10 μm, which is evaluated by differentiating neighbouring carbon fibres in a polymer composite material. The density resolution is approximately 0.035 g/cm3, which enables to successfully distinguish the high-density polyethylene (HDPE, 0.93 g/cm3) from the ultra-low-density polyethylene (ULDPE, 0.88 g/cm3) in the sample. Moreover, the system can be switched to operate on another mode based on a Talbot–Lau interferometer that provides a wider field of view with a moderate spatial resolution (approximately 100 μm). By analyzing sample images of the biological, this study demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of using hybrid configuration of this X-ray phase CT system.

Keywords: X-ray phase contrast, Talbot–Lau interferometer, grating, X-ray CT

DOI: 10.3233/XST-200732

Journal: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 63-73, 2021