Vapor-deposited CaWO4 phosphor
In this paper we describe the preparation, microstructure, and x-ray excited luminescence of vapor-deposited CaWO4 films up to about 50 μm thick, comparing them to particulate CaWO4 phosphor screens, used in medical diagnostic imaging. Films that we e-beam evaporated on substrates heated at or above 500 °C were polycrystalline with the scheelite structure, while on unheated substrates, films were initially amorphous but became crystalline after annealing them in air above about 750 °C. Crystalline CaWO4 films irradiated with x-rays produced light emission peaked at 430 nm. The emission intensity depended on film thickness and grain size and was comparable to particulate CaWO4 phosphor screens. Because the vapor-deposited films also exhibited superior resolution, they are promising for diagnostic x-ray imaging.