Distributed phosphor scintillator structures

A method of manufacturing a detector array useful in computerized tomography, said detector employing dispersed phosphor scintillator bodies to increase detectable output at optical wavelengths when said bodies are excited by supra-optical radiation, said method comprising the steps of:

• (A) mixing suitable phosphor particles with a nonreactive liquid matrix substance to form a suspension, said liquid matrix substance being hardenable, and transparent to optical and supra-optical radiation after hardening;
• (B) transferring a portion of said suspension into each of a plurality of detector array compartments, said detector array being composed of
• a housing having a front wall section substantially transparent to said supra-optical radiation, and a rear wall section, said detector array compartments being defined by a plurality of sidewall members extending orthogonal to said front wall section, said side wall members being opaque to said supra-optical radiation;
• and then
• (C) causing said liquid matrix substance to harden, thereby fixing the position of said phosphor particles in said matrix, whereupon a greater fraction of optical wavelength photons, generated by said supra-optical radiation exciting the resulting scintillator bodies after passing through said front wall section, escapes to the exterior of said scintillator bodies for detection by a photoelectrically responsive detector.