Improvement of spatial resolution properties of image intensifier-TV digital systems with a multiple-narrow-slit beam imaging technique.

Multiple-slit beam imaging technique with an image intensifier (II)-TV digital system has been developed to remove scatter and veiling glare while high x-ray beam utilization is maintained. Although the contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are improved with this technique, the overall image quality obtainable with an II-TV digital system is still limited due to low spatial resolution, which is mainly caused by the large pixel size, i.e., by the small matrix size used. In order to overcome the limitation of the pixel size, we have developed a new method of improving the resolution properties of the II-TV digital system by use of a multiple-slit assembly (MSA) having a narrow slit width. When the slit width of the MSA is narrower than the pixel size of the II-TV digital system, two signals from a given slit due to different MSA placements may be detected by the same pixel in different image frames, and the detected signals of the slit images are mapped to a large matrix. In this way, the spatial resolution in the direction perpendicular to the slit openings can be improved along with the increased contrast and SNR as the scatter and veiling glare can be removed. Experimental results are presented, and the effect of an anisotropic resolution property on the overall image quality is discussed.