The aim of the proposed program is the development of a solid state camera system for x-ray diffraction imaging that has higher spatial resolution than existing cameras used for x-ray diffraction and having a wide dynamic range with a readout noise that is equivalent to less than one x-ray photon. In Phase I this performance was achieved and experimentally verified using a large area (55 x 55 mm) 2048 x 2048 pixel CCD in combination with an x-ray phosphor screen fiber optically coupled directly to the CCD. In Phase II prototype camera will be designed and built. This systems performance will be evaluated in applications where high spatial resolution, wide dynamic range and high sensitivity are of particular value in x-ray diffraction related research using synchrotron light ring and other x-ray sources.
