Hamamatsu, Japan – February 5, 2009 – Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. has developed a new amorphous selenium (a-Se) film that is highly resistant to temperature changes and that also provides as much as four times more sensitivity than conventional a-Se films.
Amorphous selenium film is beneficial to the detection of breast cancer because it provides the highest resolution among x-ray conversion films used in mammography equipment. However, a weakness of conventional a-Se film is its susceptibility to changes in environmental temperature, which makes it necessary for mammography equipment that uses a-Se film to be maintained at a stable temperature. The new a-Se film overcomes this weakness, and is expected to contribute to the development of new, easier-to-handle mammography equipment. The higher sensitivity of the new a-Se film will also enable diagnostic
images of patients to be captured with lower doses of x-rays.
Sample shipments of the new a-Se film to Japan-based and international manufacturers of x-ray mammography equipment are scheduled to begin in October 2009. Prior to this, company researchers will present a conference paper describing the new a-Se film technology on February 11 at SPIE Medical Imaging in Orlando, Florida. In addition, the new a-Se film will be exhibited during the company's Photon Fair 2009 event from February 26 to 28 at the ACT City Hamamatsu convention center.
