Scanning operation of an edge illumination X-ray multi-contrast imaging system using low-cost masks with...

Edge illumination (EI) X-ray multi-contrast imaging has attracted considerable attention in medical imaging and non-destructive testing due to its capability of simultaneously retrieving absorption, phase, and scattering images. However, present EI systems have issues such as high cost of masks, restricted field-of-view (FOV), and limited imaging efficiency induced by mask stepping that need to be solved before the commercial applications of the EI method. In this study, we propose an EI imaging method that not only has an increased FOV and improved imaging efficiency achieved through a sample-scanning mode, but also is compatible with the low-cost metal-powder masks, which suffer from the problem of inhomogeneous absorption structures. By translating the detector mask (M2) along the optical axis to generate a variable distribution of misalignments between the micro-beamlet and the M2 slits, and introducing a retrieval algorithm involving multiple illumination curves, multi-contrast images such as a chicken foot and a circuit board were successfully obtained at a x-ray tube setting of 70 kV/400 μA and a FOV of 250 mm in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. The optimal scanning EI configuration is also discussed by simulation. With further development, it is believed that EI systems based on the above method will find wide applications, such as security scanning and conveyor belt systems.