Patent ID: 7869567

Claim:
An apparatus for phase contrast x-ray imaging a sample in a sample region ( 10 ), comprising: a source ( 2 ) of x-rays; a sample mask ( 8 ) between the source of x-rays and the sample region ( 10 ), the sample mask including a plurality of apertures ( 32 ) for defining a respective plurality of individual x-ray beams ( 16 ); and an x-ray detector ( 4 ) with a plurality of detector pixels ( 12 ) having sensitive regions sensitive to x-rays and insensitive regions insensitive to x-rays, the sensitive regions being bounded from the insensitive regions by pixel edges; wherein: the pixels ( 12 ) are arranged as a two dimensional array ( 5 ) of pixels arranged in rows; the source ( 2 ) of x-rays is a polychromatic, uncollimated source of x-rays; and the apertures ( 32 ) in the sample mask are arranged such that the x-ray beams ( 16 ) pass through the sample region ( 10 ) and hit the pixel edges of a plurality of rows of pixels corresponding to the plurality of x-ray beams, a plurality of columns of pixels corresponding to the plurality of x-ray beams or a plurality of individual pixels corresponding to the plurality of x-ray beams.