Improving the Spatial Resolution of Neutron Imaging at Paul Scherrer Institut - The Neutron Microscope Project

Here we present results stemming from the first prototype of the Neutron Microscope instrument at Paul ScherrerInstitut (PSI). The instrument is based on a very thin gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb+) scintillator screen and a magnifying optics. The Neutron Microscope prototype has been tested at the ICON and the BOA beamlines at PSI and sub-10 μm features can be clearly resolved on a focussed ion beam (FIB) enhance test object - a gadolinium-based Siemens star. The spatial resolution of the images of the gadolinium-based Siemensstar assessed by Fourier ring correlation was about 7.6 μm. The outlook for future improvement of the Neutron Microscope system is presented.