Nobufumi Mori

The Imaging Plate and Its Applications

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the imaging plate (IP) and its applications. In the IP system, a pattern of radiation is temporarily stored in the IP. The data on the IP are read out by an image reader that scans the IP with a focused red-light laser beam and causes photostimulated luminescence (PSL). The emitted light falls on a photomultiplier tube (PMT), and the output of the PMT then becomes the time series of the digital signal. The chapter discusses the mechanism of PSL. The mechanism has attracted many researchers because it is interesting not only in the study of phosphor, but also in that of the relation between luminescent centers and defects. The structure of the IP is discussed in the chapter in relation to image quality. There are various ways of scanning the IP, all of which have both merits and drawbacks. The chapter also discusses the characteristics of sensitivity, linearity, resolution, noise, and uniformity.