Patent ID: 7388208

Claim:
A dual energy x-ray imaging detector, comprising: an array of x-ray detector elements configured to detect x-rays in an x-ray imaging system, each x-ray detector element configured to measure x-ray attenuation by an object at two different x-ray energies so that x-ray images of the object can be generated at the two different energies; wherein each x-ray detector element includes: a first scintillator element configured to convert x-rays from the x-ray source that have traversed the object into light having a first wavelength; a second scintillator element configured to convert x-rays from the x-ray source that have traversed the object and that have passed through the first scintillator element into light having a second wavelength; a first optical sensor configured to detect the light from the first and second scintillator elements, the first optical sensor having a spectral sensitivity substantially matched to the first wavelength; and a second optical sensor configured to detect the light from the first and second scintillator elements, the second optical sensor having a spectral sensitivity substantially matched to the second wavelength; wherein the first scintillator element comprises gadolinium oxisulfite ceramic, and has a thickness of between about 0.03 mm and about 0.06 mm; and wherein the second scintillator element comprises single crystal cadmium tungstate, and has a thickness of between about 2 mm and about 3 mm.