The present invention relates to a grating for X-ray phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging. It is described to form a photo-resist layer on a surface of a substrate. The photo-resist layer is illuminated with radiation using a mask representing a desired grating structure. The photo-resist layer is etched to remove parts of the photo-resist layer, to leave a plurality of trenches that are laterally spaced from one across the surface of the substrate. A plurality of material layers are formed on the surface of the substrate. Each layer is formed in a trench. A material layer comprises a plurality of materials, wherein the plurality of materials are formed one on top of the other in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. The plurality of materials comprises at least one material that has a k-edge absorption energy that is higher than the k-edge absorption energy of Gold and the plurality of materials comprises Gold.

A metal grid includes: a member which includes a curved principal surface; an anodic oxide film which is formed on the principal surface of the member, and a lattice structure which has an uneven shape periodically formed on the anodic oxide film. A production method for a metal grid includes: a step of forming a valve metal film on a principal surface of a member, a step of forming an anodic oxide film by performing an anodic oxidation treatment on the valve metal film while the principal surface is curved; and a step of forming a lattice structure with a periodic uneven shape on the anodic oxide film by forming an etching mask with a periodic opening on a surface of the anodic oxide film and etching the anodic oxide film through the opening.

An apparatus for X-ray imaging is provided. An X-ray source provides an X-ray along an X-ray beam path. A holographic medium is along the X-ray beam path. An X-ray phase grating is between the X-ray source and the holographic medium along the X-ray beam path. A readout beam source provides a readout beam along a readout beam path. A readout detector is along the readout beam path, wherein the holographic medium is along the readout beam path.

The present invention relates to a device for phase stepping in phase contrast image acquisition, the device (1) comprising: a mobile grating (10); a guiding element (11); a restoring element (12); and a locking element (13); wherein the guiding element (11) is configured to guide the mobile grating (10) between a first position (2) and a second position (3); wherein the restoring element (12) is configured to apply a force to the mobile grating (10); wherein the force is directed from the first position (2) to the second position (3); and wherein the locking element (13) is configured to releasably lock the mobile grating (10) in the first position (2). In an example, during the motion of the mobile grating (10) back to equilibrium, a decoder (11a) for the position of the mobile grating (10) along the guiding element (11) may trigger at least four measurement frames over a period of at least 2*Pi. The invention provides a device (1) for phase stepping in phase contrast image acquisition which provides a fast image acquisition without a significant delay and which reduces positional inaccuracies and which avoids back-lash.

In a method for producing a microstructure component, which is used in particular as an x-ray phase contrast grating in an x-ray device, a material absorbing x-rays is poured into a mold able at least to be deformed about one bending axis, which is formed by a silicon substrate and which has a plurality of cutouts running in a direction of the thickness of the silicon substrate with dimensions in the micrometer range. The mold into which the material is poured is heated up to a working temperature value lying above the room temperature and below a melting temperature value of the material which is poured into it and is formed into a final contour as per specifications.

An X-ray grating configured for use in an X-ray imaging apparatus is provided. The X-ray grating has a silicone-based base layer. A plurality of silicon-based ridges is on a surface of the silicon-based base layer, wherein the plurality of silicon-based ridges from a plurality of trenches, where a trench of the plurality of trenches is between two silicon-based ridges of the plurality of silicon-based ridges. A plurality of silicon-based bridges extends between adjacent silicon-based ridges, wherein each silicon-based ridge of the plurality of silicon-based ridges is connected to at least one adjacent silicon-based ridge of the plurality of silicon-based ridges by at least one of a silicon-based bridge of the plurality of silicon-based bridges and wherein at least one of a plurality of four adjacent trenches does not have any silicon-based bridges.

An x-ray interferometric imaging system in which the x-ray source comprises a target having a plurality of structured coherent sub-sources of x-rays embedded in a thermally conducting substrate. The system additionally comprises a beam-splitting grating G.sub.1 that establishes a Talbot interference pattern, which may be a π phase-shifting grating, and an x-ray detector to convert two-dimensional x-ray intensities into electronic signals. The system may also comprise a second analyzer grating G.sub.2 that may be placed in front of the detector to form additional interference fringes, a means to translate the second grating G.sub.2 relative to the detector. The system may additionally comprise an antiscattering grid to reduce signals from scattered x-rays. Various configurations of dark-field and bright-field detectors are also disclosed.

A phase contrast X-ray imaging system includes an X-ray source; a plurality of gratings; a detector; a grating movement mechanism; and an image processor that generates a phase contrast image. The image processor generates the phase contrast image by using a pitch of an intensity change and a function which has the pitch as a variable and expresses the intensity change in a pixel value as a grating moves.

An X-ray detector (10) for a phase contrast imaging system (100) and a phase contrast imaging system (100) with such detector (10) are provided. The X-ray detector (10) comprises a scintillation device (12) and a photodetector (14) with a plurality of photosensitive pixels (15) optically coupled to the scintillation device (12), wherein the X-ray detector (10) comprises a primary axis (16) parallel to a surface normal vector of the scintillation device (12), and wherein the scintillation device (12) comprises a wafer substrate (18) having a plurality of grooves (20), which are spaced apart from each other. Each of the grooves (20) extends to a depth (22) along a first direction (21) from a first side (13) of the scintillation device (12) into the wafer substrate (18), wherein each of the grooves (20) is at least partially filled with a scintillation material. Therein, the first direction (21) of at least a part of the plurality of grooves (20) is different from the primary axis (16), such that at least a part of the plurality grooves (20) is tilted with respect to the primary axis (16). An angle between the first direction (21) of a groove (20) arranged in a center region (24) of the scintillation device (12) and the primary axis (16) is smaller than an angle between the first direction (21) of a groove (20) arranged in an outer region (26) of the scintillation device (12) and the primary axis (16).

A phase contrast imaging (PCI) method in which, instead of using an analyzer grid, detector pixels are grouped and only a part of the total pixels are used to calculate a phase contrast image. In second, third, etc. steps, the pixels which were not used in the previous recalculation are used additionally to recalculate second, third, etc. phase contrast images. Finally the different phase contrast images are fused to result in a full image.