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© 2018 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Coded masks (CM) often lack a self-supporting structure that is difficult to manufacture without recourse to drilled holes in place of ideal square apertures, degrading imaging properties. An alternative approach is presented with three-dimensional (3-D) printed CM molds cast with a radio-opaque material that allows square elements to be retained. Two methods are presented; hot casting a bismuth alloy (density 8.6 g cm-3) and cold casting with tungsten powder/epoxy resin (densities 9.6 and 10.6 g cm-3). A critical review of 3-D printed-CM fabrication along with some typical X-ray backscatter images is presented. A signal-to-noise ratio from both the machined tungsten and cold cast 3-D printed mask were comparable, with the former having a slight advantage. Also, 3-D printed cold cast masks were found to be more economical and easier to rapid prototype over traditional drilled tungsten masks.

Original publication

DOI

10.1117/1.OE.57.8.085104

Type

Journal article

Journal

Optical Engineering

Publication Date

01/08/2018

Volume

57