Neutron image plates have found widespread application as neutron detectors for single-crystal and powder diffraction, small-angle scattering and tomography. After neutron exposure, the image plate can be read-out by scanning with a laser. Commercially available neutron image plates (NIPs) consist of a powder mixture of BaFBr:Eu²⁺ and Gd₂O₃ dispersed in a polymer matrix and supported by a flexible polymer sheet. Since BaFBr:Eu²⁺ also is an excellent X-ray storage phosphor, these NIPs are particularly prone to γ-radiation which is always present as a background radiation in neutron experiments. In this contribution we present results of NIPs consisting of KCl:Eu²⁺ and LiF which were fabricated into ceramic image plates hence eliminating the necessity for an organic binder phase. An advantage of this type of NIP is the significantly reduced γ-sensitivity. However, the much lower neutron absorption cross section of LiF compared to Gd₂O₃ demands a thicker image plate to obtain comparable neutron absorption. This increased thickness inevitably leads to a loss in spatial resolution of the NIP. However, the reduction in resolution can be restricted by a novel image plate concept in which a ceramic structure with square cells is embedded in the NIP resulting in a pixelated image plate (Pix-NIP). In such a NIP the read-out light is confined to the respectively illuminated pixel decoupling the spatial resolution from the optical properties of the image plate material and morphology. In this contribution, a comparison of experimentally determined and simulated spatial resolutions of pixelated and unstructured image plates for a fixed read-out laser intensity is presented as well as simulations on the properties of these NIPs at higher laser powers.

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