A 2D silicon strip X-ray imager

A description of a prototype X-ray imaging system based upon a rotating one dimensional silicon microstrip detector is provided along with simulations of the detector's performance. Two-dimensional images have been reconstructed from a series of one-dimensional projections using a fast version of the Maximum Entropy algorithm. A one-dimensional silicon detector, having 256 strips with a pitch of 0.3 mm, is rotated in steps through 180 degrees in the image plane. The charge deposited in each strip for each angular position provides the series of projections from which the image may be reconstructed. Simulated images of a range of test scenes have been obtained at 256 by 256 resolution. The prototype detector described has an intended operating energy range of 5-30 keV.