In an indirect-capture flat panel image receptor plate (FPIR) system, what captures the light produced by incident x-ray?

The light produced by incident x-rays in an indirect-capture flat panel image receptor plate (FPIR) system is captured by a scintillator. Scintillators are materials that convert x-ray photons into visible light. When x-ray photons strike the scintillator, they excite the atoms within the material, causing them to emit light, typically in the blue or green spectrum. This light is then detected and processed by other components of the imaging system.

The role of the scintillator is crucial because it is what allows the conversion of x-ray energy into a measurable form that can be further processed to create an image. After the scintillation event, the visible light produced is then transferred to a photodetector, such as a photodiode, which helps to convert the light into an electronic signal for image processing.

The thin film transistor (TFT) array serves to read out these signals and convert them into digital format, providing the means to display the image on a screen, but it does not directly capture the light. A computer is involved in the processing, storage, and display of the image data, but it also does not participate in the initial capture of the x-ray induced light.

Thus, the scintillator is the key component