Development of an Imaging X-ray Detector for the NanoXCT Project

The NanoXCT project aims at the strong need of the nanotechnology sector for non-destructive testing instruments that can reveal the inner structure of objects. For this task, a nanometer-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) system, which does not rely on the use of X-ray optics, is in development. While reaching a resolution in the range of existing nano CT setups, (50 nm [1,2]) the field of view should be increased by an order of magnitude. This will be achieved with a custom-built X-ray tube and a novel detector, based on Medipix2 [3] or Timepix [4] modules, because no large-area, highresolution detector with suitable properties is available on the market yet. In this paper we summarize the background of the system concept [5], the resulting constraints and design goals like spatial resolution, object size and typical limits. The main part of this paper is the presentation of our concept for the detector, the introductioin of the current state of development, the first prototype, the discussion of the results so far and a perspective for the future work.