Flat Panel Detector (FPD)

A flat panel detector (FPD) is a digital X-ray imaging device widely used in radiography. Much like a digital camera sensor converts visible light into images, an FPD converts X-ray energy passing through an object into digital signals to generate high-resolution radiographic images.

FPDs are essential components in X-ray CT, medical radiography, and mammography systems. They have largely replaced conventional image intensifiers (I.I.) and imaging plates (IP) because they offer a wider dynamic range and enable real-time imaging without separate reading processes.

Types of X-ray FPDs

There are two primary methods for converting X-rays into electrical signals:

Indirect Conversion: This method uses a scintillator to convert X-rays into visible light, which is then detected by a photodiode array. Typically, this method does not require high-voltage bias for the detector element.
Direct Conversion: This method uses a semiconductor material, such as amorphous selenium (a-Se) or cadmium telluride (CdTe). A high-voltage bias is applied across the semiconductor layer. When X-rays strike the material, they generate electrical charges that are guided by the high-voltage field to a Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) array for readout.

Power Supplies for FPD Applications

Matsusada Precision offers compact, low-noise high-voltage power supplies designed to provide the stable bias voltage required for direct conversion FPDs (a-Se and CdTe). Our power supplies help ensure clear, artifact-free imaging by minimizing power supply noise.