Design and demonstration of phase gratings for 2D single grating interferometer.

In this study, we examined five types of phase gratings in a two-dimensional (2D) single grating interferometer with multidot metal targets embedded in a diamond substrate. For a phase grating consisting of two stacked 1D π/2-phase gratings and a checkerboard π-phase grating the multidot-pattern self-images with high visibility (40%) were obtained as expected from simulations. In addition to an absorption image, differential phase contrast and dark-field images in both x and y directions were derived from a single image.

Two dimensional x-ray phase imaging using single grating interferometer with embedded x-ray targets.

Using multidot metal targets embedded in a diamond substrate, we created a single-grating Talbot-Lau interferometer and used it to capture two dimensional (2D) x-ray phase images. The ensemble of these targets constitutes a tiny virtual array of x-ray source and enables x-ray phase-contrast imaging with no source or absorption grating within a 1 m source-detector distance for 8 keV x-rays. We directly resolved a dot-pattern self-image of the phase grating with 6 µm pitch by using an x-ray image detector with 24 µm pixels and obtained 2D differential-phase and dark-field images from a single-exposure.

X-ray phase contrast imaging by compact Talbot-Lau interferometer with a single transmission grating.

We performed x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) by Talbot-Lau interferometer using only a single transmission grating. Multiline metal targets embedded in a diamond substrate were irradiated with electrons to generate an array of x-ray lines of 1 μm width, which allowed XPCI within a 1 m source-detector distance in a configuration without a source or absorption grating. We directly resolved the self-image of the phase grating of 3 μm pitch using an x-ray image detector of 24 μm pixel size and successfully obtained absorption, differential phase, and dark-field images for 8 keV x rays.

Hard x-ray phase contrast imaging using a tabletop Talbot-Lau interferometer with multiline embedded x-ray targets.

We demonstrate hard x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) using a tabletop Talbot-Lau interferometer in which the x-ray source and source grating are replaced with an x-ray source with multiline metal targets embedded in a diamond substrate. This source realizes an array of linear x-ray sources of a few micrometers width without fabrication difficulty because of the shallow penetration depth of electrons irradiated to the metal targets. This enhances the coherence of x rays from each linear source and allows XPCI within 45 cm source-detector distance under 1.