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TNO – Unbreakable and curved X-ray systems

EARTO Innovation Awards 2019 – Impact Expected Category

    Today’s X-ray detectors for medical diagnostic applications are made on glass, making them heavy, difficult to transport and prone to breakages. A cost-effective X-ray imaging equipment is needed to improve diagnosis of diseases, enhance patient access to healthcare and create more capacity through process efficiencies.   Innovation: EARTO Member TNO developed a curved X-ray detector with organic materials that would be less vulnerable than current glass-based designs, and significantly meet emerging clinical needs. TNO created organic photosensor arrays on plastic. These arrays are thinner, lighter-weight, unbreakable, very appealing for (light) detection applications, paving the way for more compact 3D X-ray imagers with better image quality.   Impact Expected: The new photosensor materials ensure medical-grade performance while significantly simplifying fabrication, reducing cost by ca. 40%. On top of such cost-reduction, the printed detector allow the volume of 3D X-ray detectors to shrink by 50% and images can be produced using less radiation. The global X-Ray detector market is expected to reach $3.6B by 2024 (from $2.3B in 2016).