Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An X-ray arrangement for obtaining quantitative X-ray images from a sample, comprising:a) an X-ray source;b) a set of at least two gratings;c) a position-sensitive detector with spatially modulated detection sensitivity having a plurality of individual pixels;d) a recorder connected to said detector for recording images of said detector;e) evaluation means for evaluating respective intensities for each pixel in a series of images in order to identify a characteristic of the object for each individual pixel as one or more of an absorption-dominated pixel or a differential phase contrast dominated pixel or an x-ray scattering dominated pixel;f) wherein the series of images is collected by continuously or stepwise rotating from 0 to π or 2π either the sample or the X-ray source relative to the sample;g) said set of gratings, or part of said gratings being manufactured with planar geometry where the X-rays pass through said gratings parallel to the substrate;h) said grating structures extending along an x-ray path which determines the phase shift and attenuation that said grating structures cause to the x-rays, not being given by the thickness of said structures, but by a length of said grating structures; andi) wherein a combination of said grating structures of said set of gratings are fabricated on a single substrate. 2. The arrangement according to claim 1, configured to be operated either in a “near field regime” or in a “Talbot-regime.” 3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said gratings is a line grating forming an absorption grating or a phase grating. 4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said gratings is a low absorption grating configured for generating an X-ray phase shift of it or odd multiples thereof. 5. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said gratings include a first grating (G1) and a second grating (G2), with the second grating being a line grating having a relatively high X-ray absorption contrast and a period corresponding to a self image of G1, and wherein G2 is placed closely in front of said detector with the lines of G2 parallel to those of G1. 6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein:for near-field-regime operation, a distance between said at least two gratings is chosen within the near-field regime; andfor Talbot-regime operation the distance is chosen according to      D          n      ,      sph        =                    L        ·                  D          n                            L        -                  D          n                      =                            L          ·          N          ·                                    p              1              2                        /            2                          ⁢                  η          2                ⁢        λ                    L        -                              N            ·                                          p                1                2                            /              2                                ⁢                      η            2                    ⁢          λ                    where n=1, 3, 5 . . . , and  η  =      {                            1                                                    if              ⁢                                                          ⁢              the              ⁢                                                          ⁢              phase              ⁢                                                          ⁢              shift              ⁢                                                          ⁢              of              ⁢                                                          ⁢                              G                1                            ⁢                                                          ⁢              is              ⁢                                                          ⁢                              (                                                      2                    ⁢                    l                                    -                  1                                )                            ⁢                              π                2                                      ,                                                              p              2                        =                                                            L                  +                                      D                                          n                      ,                      sph                                                                      L                            ⁢                              p                1                                                                          2                                                    if              ⁢                                                          ⁢              the              ⁢                                                          ⁢              phase              ⁢                                                          ⁢              shift              ⁢                                                          ⁢              of              ⁢                                                          ⁢                              G                1                            ⁢                                                          ⁢              is              ⁢                                                          ⁢                              (                                                      2                    ⁢                    l                                    -                  1                                )                            ⁢              π                        ,                                                              p              2                        =                                                            L                  +                                      D                                          n                      ,                      sph                                                                      L                            ⁢                                                p                  1                                2                                                        where l=1, 2, 3, Dn is an odd fractional Talbot distance when the parallel X-ray beam is used, while Dn,sph is that when a fan or cone X-ray beam is used, L is a distance between the source and a grating G1. 7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said grating structure is manufactured by planar technology. 8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said grating structures are selected from the group consisting of absorption gratings and phase shift gratings and either or both are produced by a planar technology process. 9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said line detector is fabricated on a common substrate with a second grating or on a common substrate with a first grating and a second grating. 10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a geometry of said grating structure is adapted to a divergence of the X-ray beam. 11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a multiplicity of structures obtained with planar fabrication techniques are stacked face-to-face on top of one another. 12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein multiple grating structures are stacked on-top of each other with mechanical or optical alignment. 13. The arrangement according to claim 12, wherein multiple grating structures are aligned by way of lithographically defined notches and grooves. 14. The arrangement according to claim 1, which comprises a collimator placed between said source and a first grating (G1) to limit a spatial extent of the illuminating X-rays to a fan beam, and wherein said detector is a line-array detector, and which further comprises a mechanism for rotating the sample, stepwise or continuously, relative to the apparatus, wherein a rotational axis of the rotation is perpendicular to an opening angle of the fan, and said mechanism is enabled to translate the sample, stepwise or continuously, relative to the apparatus along a direction parallel to the rotational axis. 15. The arrangement according to claim 1, which comprises a slit or a series of n slits disposed upstream of the object, in a beam direction, to minimize dose delivery to the object. 16. The arrangement according to claim 15, wherein said slit or series of n slits is integrated in a grating assembly with a first grating or a grating assembly with a second grating. 17. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein phase stepping is effected by a mechanical shift of one of said gratings with respect to other said gratings. 18. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a phase relation between grating structures G1 and G2 corresponds exactly to a value for which an intensity curve can be expanded by a first order Taylor series. 19. An X-ray arrangement for obtaining quantitative X-ray images from a sample, comprising:a) an X-ray source;b) a set of at least two gratings;c) a position-sensitive detector with spatially modulated detection sensitivity having a plurality of individual pixels;d) a recorder connected to said detector for recording images of said detector;e) evaluation means for evaluating respective intensities for each pixel in a series of images in order to identify a characteristic of the object for each individual pixel as one or more of an absorption-dominated pixel or a differential phase contrast dominated pixel or an x-ray scattering dominated pixel;f) wherein the series of images is collected by continuously or stepwise rotating from 0 to π or 2π either the sample or the X-ray source relative to the sample;g) said set of gratings, or part of said gratings being manufactured with planar geometry where the X-rays pass through said gratings parallel to the substrate;h) said grating structures extending along the x-ray path which determines the phase shift and attenuation that said grating structures cause to the x-rays being given by a length of said grating structures;i) wherein phase stepping is effected by a mechanical shift of one of said gratings with respect to other said gratings; andj) wherein a first grating is stepped and second and third gratings are physically located on a common substrate and a phase relation between the second and third gratings is encoded within the planar structures. 20. An X-ray arrangement for obtaining quantitative X-ray images from a sample, comprising:a) an X-ray source;b) a set of at least two gratings;c) a position-sensitive detector with spatially modulated detection sensitivity having a plurality of individual pixels;d) a recorder connected to said detector for recording images of said detector;e) evaluation means for evaluating respective intensities for each pixel in a series of images in order to identify a characteristic of the object for each individual pixel as one or more of an absorption-dominated pixel or a differential phase contrast dominated pixel or an x-ray scattering dominated pixel;f) wherein the series of images is collected by continuously or stepwise rotating from 0 to π or 2π either the sample or the X-ray source relative to the sample;g) said set of gratings, or part of said gratings being manufactured with planar geometry where the X-rays pass through said gratings parallel to the substrate;h) said grating structures extending along the x-ray path which determines the phase shift and attenuation that said grating structures cause to the x-rays is given by a length of said grating structures; andi) wherein a set of n phase steps is obtained by using n sets of planar grating and n line detectors; each of the n sets being aligned with a different phase-stepping position, and wherein the object is scanned in n phase-step positions without moving any mechanical parts and only the object.