Mr. Stuart R. Miller Profile

Stuart R. Miller

Staff Scientist at Radiation Monitoring Devices Inc

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Author

Publications (19)

Proceedings Article | 16 March 2020 Presentation + Paper

Pixelated columnar CsI:Tl scintillator for high resolution radiography and cone-beam CT

Stuart Miller, Bipin Singh, Matthew S. Marshall, Conner Brown, Niral Sheth, Gengxin Shi, Jeffrey Siewerdsen, Wojciech Zbijewski, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 11312, 1131212 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2550196

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, Bone, Spatial resolution, Sensors, Image resolution, Atomic layer deposition, CMOS sensors, Radiography

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Microcolumnar CsI:Tl scintillator screens have been the gold standard in X-ray imaging for many years due to their high density, high atomic number, and scintillation efficiency. The structured screens provide an improvement in performance by channeling the light to the detector, improving detection efficiency and spatial resolution. We have taken this concept a step further by laser-machining the CsI:Tl scintillator to provide pixels that match the detector pixels. This allows for still thicker CsI:Tl layers up to 700 μm pixelated with pitch of 100 μm to match CMOS flat panel pixels, thus improving X-ray absorption and resolution. We are investigating the applications of CMOS detectors with pixelated scintillators for imaging of bone microarchitecture on diagnostic Cone Beam CT (CBCT) systems to provide improved quantitative metrics for diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

The scintillator design includes reflective coatings applied to the laser-cut grooves to improve optical isolation between pixels. Such coatings are created by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a unique approach, which permits formation of reflectors over inter-pixel grooves with aspect ratios as high as 140:1. Here we present initial results quantifying performance gains in CMOS detector resolution and their impact on the quality of bone microstructure segmentation. We demonstrate 77% gain in spatial resolution at 2 lp/mm and extension of the limiting resolution from 3 lp/mm to 4.5 lp/mm for the CMOS detector with a pixelated screen compared to a commercial sensor. In a bench-top CBCT study emulating diagnostic systems for orthopedic applications (extremity CBCT), we achieved >0.75 correlations in metrics of trabecular microarchitecture between pixelated CsI:Tl based CBCT and gold-standard micro-CT. The pixelated scintillator is expected to have significant impact for many other applications including mammography and digital radiography, where resolution and dose efficiency (DQE) of the detector are of critical importance.

Proceedings Article | 11 September 2018 Presentation + Paper

Bridgman-grown CsI:Tl crystals codoped to suppress afterglow for high-throughput cargo inspection

P. Bhattacharya, S. Miller, M. Wart, C. Brecher, V. Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 10763, 107630D (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2326552

KEYWORDS: Crystals, Samarium, Europium, X-rays, Thallium, Scintillators, Scintillation, Luminescence, Inspection, Crystallography

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Proceedings Article | 12 May 2016 Paper

High frame-rate real-time x-ray imaging of in situ high-velocity rifle bullets

Lawrence D'Aries, Stuart Miller, Rob Robertson, Bipin Singh, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 9847, 98470G (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2220783

KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, X-ray sources, X-ray imaging, Scintillators, X-rays, Cameras, Sensors, Firearms, Photons, Image acquisition

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Proceedings Article | 9 September 2015 Paper

Efficient high-resolution hard x-ray imaging with transparent Lu2O3:Eu scintillator thin films

Zsolt Marton, Stuart Miller, Charles Brecher, Peter Kenesei, Matthew Moore, Russell Woods, Jonathan Almer, Antonino Miceli, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 9594, 95940E (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2195580

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, X-rays, Silica, Transparency, Hard x-rays, Spatial resolution, Sapphire, Lutetium, Modulation transfer functions, Thin films

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Proceedings Article | 6 March 2013 Paper

High performance microstructured Lu2O3:Eu thin film scintillator for X-ray computed tomography

Zsolt Marton, Harish Bhandari, Charles Brecher, Stuart Miller, Bipin Singh, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 8668, 86683T (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2007906

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, Spatial resolution, X-rays, X-ray computed tomography, Sensors, Hard x-rays, Quantum efficiency, CCD cameras, Thin films, Charge-coupled devices

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Proceedings Article | 17 March 2011 Paper

Novel synthesis of large area ZnTe:O films for high-resolution imaging applications

Vivek Nagarkar, Bipin Singh, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Stuart Miller, Vladimir Gelfandbein, Harish Bhandari, Michael Squillante

Proceedings Volume 7961, 79610N (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878286

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, X-rays, X-ray imaging, Zinc oxide, Molecules, Charge-coupled devices, Quartz, Oxygen, Scanning electron microscopy, Zinc

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Proceedings Article | 12 September 2009 Paper

Development of microcolumnar LaBr[sub]3[/sub]:Ce scintillator

Vivek Nagarkar, Stuart Miller, Bipin Singh, Samta Thacker, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Brian Miller, H. Bradford Barber, Donald Wilson

Proceedings Volume 7450, 745006 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.831053

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, Sensors, Spatial resolution, Single photon emission computed tomography, Crystals, Image intensifiers, X-rays, Fiber optics, Gamma radiation, Cameras

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Proceedings Article | 12 September 2009 Paper

Characterization of vapor-deposited Lu[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]3[/sub]:Eu[sup]3+[/sup] scintillator for x-ray imaging applications

Vivek Nagarkar, S. Topping, S. Miller, B. Singh, C. Brecher, V. Sarin

Proceedings Volume 7450, 745003 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.831031

KEYWORDS: Coating, Chemical vapor deposition, Lutetium, Sputter deposition, Scintillators, Oxides, Ceramics, Europium, Carbon dioxide, Absorption

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Proceedings Article | 14 March 2009 Paper

Development of a high-speed CT imaging system using EMCCD camera

Samta Thacker, Kai Yang, Nathan Packard, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, George Burkett, Stuart Miller, John Boone, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 7258, 725846 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.813712

KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, X-ray imaging, X-rays, Electron multiplying charge coupled devices, X-ray computed tomography, Cameras, Sensors, High speed imaging, Scintillators, Spatial resolution

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Proceedings Article | 24 April 2008 Paper

A modular high precision digital system for hypervelocity projectile performance measurements

Vivek Nagarkar, Bipin Singh, Stuart Miller, Larry Campbell, Ron Bishel, Rick Rushing

Proceedings Volume 6978, 697808 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.779070

KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, Calibration, Prototyping, X-ray imaging, X-ray sources, Cameras, Image analysis, Scintillators, 3D image processing, Electron multiplying charge coupled devices

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Proceedings Article | 18 March 2008 Paper

Characterization of the new co-doped CsI microcolumnar films for high-speed radiographic imaging

Samta Thacker, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Lena Ovechkina, Stuart Miller, Vivek Nagarkar, Charles Brecher, Alexander Lempicki, Ralph Bartram

Proceedings Volume 6913, 69130Q (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.771438

KEYWORDS: Modulation transfer functions, X-rays, Crystals, X-ray imaging, Scintillators, Spatial resolution, Samarium, Scintillation, Spatial frequencies, X-ray computed tomography

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Proceedings Article | 22 September 2007 Paper

Scintillation properties and applications of reduced-afterglow co-doped CsI:Tl

V. Nagarkar, V. Gaysinskiy, E. Ovechkina, S. Miller, C. Brecher, A. Lempicki, R. Bartram

Proceedings Volume 6707, 67070D (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.740363

KEYWORDS: Europium, Samarium, Scintillation, Ions, Thallium, Scintillators, Mathematical modeling, X-ray imaging, X-rays, Crystals

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While a wide variety of new scintillators are now available, CsI:Tl remains a highly desired material for medical and industrial applications due to its excellent properties, low cost, and easy availability. Despite its advantages, however, its use in high-speed imaging applications has been hindered by an undesirably high afterglow component in its scintillation decay. To address this specific issue and to make the material suitable for applications such as volumetric CT and high-speed radiography, we have discovered that codoping the material with certain dipositive rare earth ions is particularly effective for such afterglow suppression. We have extensively studied the manner in which one such ion, Eu²⁺, alters the spectroscopic and kinetic properties of the scintillation, and have developed a coherent mathematical model consistent with the experimental results. Unfortunately, the beneficial effect of Eu²⁺ appears to be restricted only to relatively short times (say ≤200 ms) after the end of the excitation pulse. At longer times, the carriers whose diversion into deep traps is responsible for suppression of the short-term afterglow begin to escape those traps, resulting in enhancement of the low-level persistence on a time scale of seconds or minutes. What is needed is to provide some nonradiative means to annihilate the trapped carriers before their escape can enhance the low-level long-term emission. And, as predicted by the mathematical model, this is exactly what Sm²⁺ does. In this paper we compare the respective effects of the two additives on the afterglow and hysteresis characteristics of the host CsI:Tl material system. We find that while Eu begins to exert its afterglow-suppressive effect sooner after termination of excitation, the influence of Sm lasts much longer. Moreover, the suppressive effect of the latter is always found, regardless of the conditions of excitation, and becomes more profound the greater the duration of the exciting pulse. Various aspects of these effects and some their consequences for imaging performance are also discussed.

Proceedings Article | 14 March 2007 Paper

Characterization of a novel microCT detector for small animal computed tomography (CT)

Samta Thacker, Vivek Nagarkar, Hongjie Liang, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Stuart Miller, Simon Cherry

Proceedings Volume 6510, 65103L (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.709736

KEYWORDS: Electron multiplying charge coupled devices, Sensors, Fiber optics, X-rays, Modulation transfer functions, Charge-coupled devices, Signal to noise ratio, Spatial resolution, X-ray imaging, X-ray computed tomography

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Proceedings Article | 17 September 2005 Paper

Recent advances in columnar CsI(Tl) scintillator screens

Stuart Miller, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Irina Shestakova, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 5923, 59230F (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.625927

KEYWORDS: X-rays, Scintillators, Sensors, Spatial resolution, X-ray imaging, Radiography, Imaging systems, Mammography, Single photon emission computed tomography, Charge-coupled devices

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Proceedings Article | 26 October 2004 Paper

High-performance scintillator screen for medical imaging applications

Stuart Miller, Sameer Tipnis, Irina Shestakova, Vivek Nagarkar

Proceedings Volume 5541, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.565871

KEYWORDS: Lutetium, X-rays, Europium, Scintillators, Sensors, Imaging systems, X-ray imaging, Spatial resolution, Spatial frequencies, Modulation transfer functions

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2003 Paper

Lu₂O₃:Eu scintillator screen for x-ray imaging

Stuart Miller, Vivek Nagarkar, Sameer Tipnis, Irina Shestakova, Charles Brecher, Alexander Lempicki, Helmut Lingertat

Proceedings Volume 5199, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.509912

KEYWORDS: Lutetium, X-rays, Europium, Scintillators, X-ray imaging, Sensors, Coating, Charge-coupled devices, Photons, Point spread functions

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Proceedings Article | 5 June 2003 Paper

New design of a structured CsI(Tl) screen for digital mammography

Vivek Nagarkar, Sameer Tipnis, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Stuart Miller, Andrew Karellas, Srinivasan Vedantham

Proceedings Volume 5030, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.480249

KEYWORDS: X-rays, Spatial resolution, Imaging systems, Digital mammography, Modulation transfer functions, Sensors, X-ray imaging, Spatial frequencies, Digital imaging, Signal to noise ratio

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Proceedings Article | 7 January 2002 Paper

High-resolution high-speed CT/radiography system for NDT of adhesive bonded composites

Vivek Nagarkar, Stuart Miller, Sameer Tipnis, Valeriy Gaysinskiy, Alexander Lempicki, Charles Brecher

Proceedings Volume 4503, (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.452852

KEYWORDS: Scintillators, Imaging systems, Nondestructive evaluation, X-rays, Sensors, Composites, Charge-coupled devices, Prototyping, X-ray imaging, Adhesives

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Proceedings Article | 19 December 2001 Paper

Comparative study of CsI(Tl) screens for macromolecular crystallography

Sameer Tipnis, Vivek Nagarkar, Stuart Miller, Valeriy Gaysinskiy

Proceedings Volume 4508, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450790

KEYWORDS: X-rays, Point spread functions, Spatial resolution, Charge-coupled devices, Sensors, Fiber optics, Carbon, Reflectivity, Crystallography, Modulation transfer functions

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Showing 5 of 19 publications

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