Flexible radiation detectors

TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS:

FlexTech 2012; Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference

A High-Margin Opportunity: Flexible Radiation Detectors.

Many of the new market opportunities for flexible circuits are low-cost, and high volume, which is a challenging proposition for a novel technology. The ideal first application for a new technology is high- margin and modest-volume, which is the case for X-ray and other radiation imaging applications important for medical imaging (MI), non- destructive testing (NDT), and bomb detection (c-IED). These applications require field-deployable backplanes that can endure battlefield, ambulance, clinic, farm, hangar, power plant, and other challenging environments. As users switch to digital solid-state imaging, they want systems that are as tough and shock-proof as the film cassettes they replace. Unlike some other markets where the industry seems to be “waiting” for flex to take off, radiation detectors represent a commercial application that is both ready and necessary.

In this talk, PARC Area Manager and Principal Scientist Dr. Raj B. Apte will:

• Explain the key technical requirements needed to enter this market
• Provide an overview of x-ray imaging and radiation detectors (including specific technologies developed at PARC for commercial and government clients);
• Review the technologies for detecting radiation (on flexible substrates from polymers to steel and using a variety of backplane technologies, from organic and a-Si to IGZO and p-Si);and
• Discuss his insights and experiences from moving research to field-deployable, high-performance imaging prototypes over the past 15 years.