Technology


Our core technology offers high X-ray imaging performance at a sustainable cost point. The novelty lies in our nanoparticle-based X-ray conversion material which is produced as a semiconductor ink, then deposited onto a pixel backplane. Incoming X-rays are attenuated within the material and directly generate charge carriers, which are then transported to the underlying pixel array where they produce an electrical current response according to the energy of the detected X-ray photon.

High performance

The high X-ray imaging performance comes from the direct conversion capability of the material. Most traditional X-ray detectors use indirect conversion, which trades off resolution (how much detail you can see in an image) against dose efficiency (how many X-rays are needed to create a useable image). Direct conversion detectors are now accepted in the market for delivering best-in-class X-ray image sharpness, higher throughput for in-line inspection, and low dose performance for medical. However, these direct conversion detectors come at a significant cost premium due to their high material & processing costs.

Excellent from low to high X-ray energies

As the nanoparticles that are used to block the incoming X-ray photons are selected to have a high X-ray attenuation (with a high atomic number ‘Z’ in the periodic table of elements), our material is particularly well suited to the inspection of challenging industrial products. Where thick objects (such as steel) need to be inspected at higher X-ray energies to ensure that the X-rays can penetrate the object under test, our material offers a new alternative for non-destructive testing (NDT).

Lower cost

Our X-ray conversion material is based on a semiconductor ink and is therefore printable using common coating techniques. This enables significantly lower production costs compared to other conversion materials (for example CdTe, CZT, and even structured CsI). Our technology enables us to offer a price-competitive alternative for large-area direct conversion detectors.