Cone-beam digital tomosynthesis for thin slab objects

Abstract We describe a cone-beam computed tomography with insufficient projections obtained from a limited angle scan, the so-called cone-beam digital tomosynthesis. Digital tomosynthesis produces cross-sectional images parallel to the axis of rotation from a series of projection images acquired from a planar detector. The image reconstruction algorithm is based on the cone-beam filtered backprojection method. To suppress the out-of-plane artifacts due to the incomplete sampling over a limited angular range, we applied an apodizing filter in the depth direction. We applied the digital tomosynthesis technique to a multilayer printed circuit board possessing thin slab geometry and evaluated its performance with respect to various operation parameters, such as the total scan angle, the step angle and the number of projection images used for reconstruction. The results showed that the image quality of digital tomosynthesis reconstructed for the total scan angle greater than 60 degrees with a step angle as narrow as possible exhibited that it was comparable to that of the computed tomography. The digital tomosynthesis technique is expected to be practical for extracting internal cross-sectional views, parallel to the scan direction, of objects with thin slab geometry.

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