System and Method for inspecting an object using spatially and spectrally distinguished beams

Abstract

A system and method for inspecting an object, the system and method comprising a source for generating a penetrating radiation beam for irradiating the object, the beam having, for each instant of time, an instantaneous energy spectrum of intensity, a shaper for modulating the generated beam, thereby creating a shaped beam, the shaper comprising at least a first section and a second section, the first section attenuating the intensity of a portion of the generated beam by a first attenuation factor and the second section attenuating the intensity of another portion of the generated beam by a second attenuation factor, and at least one detector for detecting the shaped beam after the shaped beam interacts with the object.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for inspecting an object, the system comprising: 
 a. a source for generating a penetrating radiation beam for irradiating the object, the beam having, at each instant of time, an instantaneous energy spectrum of intensity;    b. a shaper for modulating the generated beam, thereby creating a shaped beam, the shaper comprising at least a first section and a second section, the first section attenuating the intensity of a portion of the generated beam by a first attenuation factor and the second section attenuating the intensity of another portion of the generated beam by a second attenuation factor; and    c. at least one detector for detecting the shaped beam after the shaped beam interacts with the object.    
     
     
         2 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the first attenuation factor is 1.  
     
     
         3 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one detector detects photons of energies exceeding a first fiducial energy and detects photons of energies exceeding a second fiducial energy.  
     
     
         4 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one detector operates in an energy-dispersive mode.  
     
     
         5 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one detector operates in a current mode.  
     
     
         6 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the shaper spatially separates the shaped beam into a first beam and a second beam, the first beam including the portion of the generated beam attenuated in the first section of the shaper and the second beam including the portion of the generated beam attenuated in the second section of the shaper.  
     
     
         7 . The inspection system according to  claim 6  wherein the at least one detector detects the first beam after the first beam interacts with the object, further comprising a second detector for detecting the second beam after the second beam interacts with the object.  
     
     
         8 . The inspection system according to  claim 7  wherein the at least one detector further detects photons of energies in the first beam exceeding a first fiducial energy and wherein the second detector further detects photons of energies in the second beam exceeding a second fiducial energy.  
     
     
         9 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein the shaper is configured in such a manner as to reduce ambient radiation dose.  
     
     
         10 . The inspection system according to  claim 1  wherein at least the first section of the shaper is composed of a element having an atomic number greater than 23.  
     
     
         11 . A system for inspecting an object, the system comprising: 
 a. a source for generating a penetrating radiation beam for irradiating the object, the beam having, for each instant of time, an instantaneous energy spectrum of intensity;    b. a shaper for modulating the generated beam, thereby creating a shaped beam, the shaper comprising at least a first section and a second section, the first section attenuating the intensity of a portion of the generated beam by a first attenuation factor and the second section attenuating the intensity of another portion of the generated beam by a second attenuation factor;    c. a first detector for detecting the shaped beam attenuated by the first attenuation factor after the shaped beam interacts with the object; and    d. a second detector for detecting the shaped beam attenuated by the second attenuation factor after the shaped beam interacts with the object.    
     
     
         12 . The inspection system according to  claim 11  wherein the first attenuation factor is 1.  
     
     
         13 . The inspection system according to  claim 11  wherein the first detector further detects photons of energies exceeding a first fiducial energy and the second detector further detects photons of energies exceeding a second fiducial energy.  
     
     
         14 . The inspection system according to  claim 11  wherein the shaper is configured in such a manner as to reduce ambient radiation dose.  
     
     
         15 . The inspection system according to  claim 11  wherein the first detector and second detector are arranged in tandem.  
     
     
         16 . A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising: 
 a. generating a penetrating radiation beam for irradiating the object, the beam having, for each instant of time, an instantaneous energy spectrum of intensity;    b. creating an attenuated beam by: 
 (1) attenuating the intensity of a first portion of the generated beam by a first attenuation factor;  
 (2) attenuating the intensity of another portion of the generated beam by a second attenuation factor; and  
   c. detecting the attenuated beam after the attenuated beam interacts with the object.    
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16  wherein the first attenuation factor is 1.  
     
     
         18 . A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising: 
 a. generating a penetrating radiation beam for irradiating the object, the beam having, for each instant of time, an instantaneous energy spectrum of intensity;    b. attenuating the intensity of a portion of the generated beam by a first attenuation factor;    c. attenuating the intensity of the remaining portion of the generated beam by a second attenuation factor;    d. detecting the beam attenuated by the first attenuation factor after the attenuated beam interacts with the object; and    e. detecting the beam attenuated by the second attenuation factor after the attenutated beam interacts with the object.    
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18  wherein the first attenuation factor is 1.