Application-oriented X-ray grating interferometer

Abstract

Grating-based Differential Phase Contrast X-ray imaging (DPCi) provides, in one measurement, unique information about the absorption coefficient, the index of refraction and the microscopic structure of a sample at hard X-ray frequencies11-17. For this reason, DPCi can potentially overcome the limitations of classical absorption-based radiography, notably for weakly absorbing materials. However, the implementation of the technology in industrial applications is still restricted due to the limited field of view and the insufficient contrast at high X-ray energies. Here, we report on a new experimental setup with field of view 5 × 7 cm2 that acquires single projections as well as Computerized Tomographic (CT) measurements of the sample. New micro-fabrication processes were developed to manufacture X-ray gratings with few defects. This allows the instrument to deliver images of industrial quality when operated with a conventional x-ray tube at 40kV. The complementarity of DPCi with conventional absorption-based radiography was experimentally demonstrated. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.