X-ray interferometer for phase contrast imaging

An interferometer for x-rays for obtaining quantitative x-ray images from an object, comprising:

• a) a slit mask having a given number of slits arranged between an X-ray source and a beam splitter grating, allowing the object to be disposed between said slit mask and said beam splitter grating;
• b) at least one analyzer grating disposed between said beam splitter grating and a detector, wherein said beam splitter grating and each of said at least one analyzer grating have a grating structure associated with the given number of slits in said slit mask;
• c) wherein said detector is configured as an array of individual line detectors each having a number of pixels, and wherein a number of said line detectors corresponds to the given number of slits in said slit mask;
• d) means for moving the object along a scan direction oriented perpendicular to an orientation of the gratings in said grating structure;
• e) means for recording the images from said detector in a continuous scanning approach;
• and
• f) means for evaluating intensities for each pixel in a series of the images representing a phase stepping scan for at least a part of the object being moved along the scan direction;
• wherein the grating structure in said at least one analyzer grating comprises a number of sub-gratings having a shift perpendicular to grating lines by an integer multiple of p2/n, wherein p2 is a period of said at least one analyzer grating and n is a given number of said line detectors.

An interferometer for x-rays for obtaining quantitative x-ray images from an object, comprising:

• a) a slit mask having a given number of slits arranged between an X-ray source and a beam splitter grating, allowing the object to be disposed between said slit mask and said beam splitter grating;
• b) at least one analyzer grating disposed between said beam splitter grating and a detector, wherein said beam splitter grating and each of said at least one analyzer grating have a grating structure associated with the given number of slits in said slit mask;
• c) wherein said detector is configured as an array of individual line detectors each having a number of pixels, and wherein a number of said line detectors corresponds to the given number of slits in said slit mask;
• d) means for moving the object along a scan direction oriented perpendicular to an orientation of the gratings in said grating structure;
• e) means for recording the images from said detector in a continuous scanning approach;
• and
• f) means for evaluating the intensities for each pixel in a series of the images representing a phase stepping scan for at least a part of the object being moved along the scan direction;
• wherein sub-gratings are disposed equidistantly from said x-ray source, and wherein conveyor means are provided for moving the object along a deflected trajectory following a shape defined by a position of said sub-gratings.