Abstract: A ceramic scintillator comprises a sintered body of a lutetium oxysulfide phosphor containing at least one element selected from Pr, Tb and Eu as an activator. The sintered body of a lutetium oxysulfide phosphor contains 5 to 15 ppm of an alkali metal element and 5 to 40 ppm of phosphorus. Such a ceramic scintillator can sufficiently make use of the intrinsic characteristics of the lutetium oxysulfide phosphor and has good sensitivity in X-ray detection even when it is downsized.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluorescent substance comprising an alkaline earth metal silicate having a composition represented by the following general formula (1): (Sr1-x-y-zBaxCayEuz)2SiwO2+2w ??(1) where x, y, z and w fall within the ranges of: 0?x?0.97; 0?y?0.97; 0.03?z?0.20; 1.00<w 1.10.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor light emitting device may include a light emitting element configured to emit a first wavelength light and a phosphor configured to absorb the first wavelength light and emit light of a second wavelength which is different from the first wavelength. The phosphor contains a silicate represented by the formula (Me1-yEuy)2SiO4, wherein Me is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ba, Sr, Ca and Mg, and y is >0. The phosphor has a grain size of from about 10 to about 50 micrometers.

Abstract: A fluorescent substance is provided, with includes a matrix composed of a compound having an AlN polytypoid structure represented by the following general formula (1), and a luminescence center element: (Al, M)a(N, X)b ??(1) wherein, M is at least one metal excluding Al, X is at least one non-metal excluding N, and a and b are positive values.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluorescent substance comprising an alkaline earth metal silicate having a composition represented by the following general formula (1): (Sr1-x-y-zBaxCayEuz)2SiwO2+2w??(1) where x, y, z and w fall within the ranges of: 0?x?0.97; 0?y?0.97; 0.03?z?0.20; 1.00<w 1.10.

Abstract: An image display system produces a color image by arranging a color shutter capable of time-divisionally switching a plurality of colors to be displayed, in front of a monochrome image display. This image display system comprises: a self-luminous image display part for time-divisionally displaying monochrome images corresponding to three primary colors; and a color display part for time-divisionally coloring and outputting the monochrome images which formed on the side of the light outgoing surface of the self-luminous image display part and which correspond to the three primary colors.

Abstract: A ceramic scintillator comprises a sintered body of a lutetium oxysulfide phosphor containing at least one element selected from Pr, Tb and Eu as an activator. The sintered body of a lutetium oxysulfide phosphor contains 5 to 15 ppm of an alkali metal element and 5 to 40 ppm of phosphorus. Such a ceramic scintillator can sufficiently make use of the intrinsic characteristics of the lutetium oxysulfide phosphor and has good sensitivity in X-ray detection even when it is downsized.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluorescent substance comprising an alkaline earth ortho-silicate, the fluorescent substance being activated by Eu2+, and further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of La, Gd, Cs and K.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor light emitting device may include a light emitting element configured to emit a first wavelength light and a phosphor configured to absorb the first wavelength light and emit light of a second wavelength which is different from the first wavelength. The phosphor contains a silicate represented by the formula (Me1-yEuy)2SiO4, wherein Me is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ba, Sr, Ca and Mg, and y is >0. The phosphor has a grain size of from about 10 to about 50 micrometers.

Abstract: An X-ray detector (5) comprises an X-ray-electric charge conversion film (21) for directly converting into charges an incident X-ray that has passed through a subject (2) and is received, and a charge information reading section (15) for detecting charges produced by the X-ray-electric charge conversion film (21) as image signals. The X-ray-electric charge conversion film (21) consists essentially of a rare-earth compound containing at least one of rare-earth element and at least one of element selected from oxygen, sulfur, selenium and tellurium. The X-ray-electric charge conversion film (21) does not adversely affect human bodies and environment, and is excellent in sensitivity, film-forming feature and the like. Accordingly, the X-ray detector (5) which is provided with the improved X-ray detection sensitivity, detection accuracy and the like with environmental loads and the like decreased can be provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a nitrogen-containing fluorescent substance comprising accommodating an oxide fluorescent substance containing two or more elements in a receptacle made of a material containing carbon, and sintering the oxide fluorescent substance in a mixed gas atmosphere containing nitrogen gas.

Abstract: An image display system produces a color image by arranging a color shutter capable of time-divisionally switching a plurality of colors to be displayed, in front of a monochrome image display. This image display system comprises: a self-luminous image display part for time-divisionally displaying monochrome images corresponding to three primary colors; and a color display part for time-divisionally coloring and outputting the monochrome images which formed on the side of the light outgoing surface of the self-luminous image display part and which correspond to the three primary colors.

Abstract: A ceramic scintillator material consists of a sintered body of a rare earth oxysulfide phosphor containing Pr as an activator. The sintered body has a texture where coarse grains of irregular polyhedron and slender fine grains are intermixed. The coarse grains have a shape of for instance a dimension (average value) in the range of 50 to 100 &mgr;m, the fine grains having a shape of which average short axis is in the range of 2 to 5 &mgr;m and average long axis in the range of 5 to 100 &mgr;m. An area ratio of the coarse grains to the fine grains is in the range of 10:90 to 60:40. Such a ceramic scintillator material has, in addition to excellent light output (high sensitivity), mechanical strength capable of coping with downsizing of a detector. Furthermore, non-uniformity in sensitivity that causes artifacts can be decreased.

Abstract: An image display system produces a color image by arranging a color shutter capable of time-divisionally switching a plurality of colors to be displayed, in front of a monochrome image display. This image display system comprises: a self-luminous image display part for time-divisionally displaying monochrome images corresponding to three primary colors; and a color display part for time-divisionally coloring and outputting the monochrome images which formed on the side of the light outgoing surface of the self-luminous image display part and which correspond to the three primary colors.

Abstract: A sintered body of a rare earth oxysulfide is heat-treated at a temperature of 900° C. to 1200° C. in an atmosphere of a mixture of sulfur and oxygen to form island-like rare earth oxide phases on the surface of the sintered body to produce a ceramic scintillator. Therefore, the ceramic scintillator comprises a sintered body of a rare earth oxysulfide, and a rare earth oxide phase formed on the surface of the sintered body, wherein a rare earth oxysulfide phase or the rare earth oxide phase is dispersed on the surface of the sintered body, so that the optical output characteristic of the ceramic scintillator is improved. According to this ceramic scintillator, it is possible to remove the pressure and distortion during sintering, the coloring caused by the deviation from the stoichiometric composition, and the coloring caused during processing such as saw-cutting and polishing.

Abstract: A display device comprises a display element for displaying luminous images corresponding to color information on a second face of a screen; a polarization converting sheet which is disposed on the screen so that light irradiated from the screen enters and transmits selectively light having a first mode of polarization; and a liquid crystal color shutter which is disposed on the polarization converting sheet and transmits selectively light having the first mode of polarization so as to output as light of at least one color of primary colors corresponding to the color information. A display device may be an achromatic CRT. Thereby, a display device bright and large in its display screen can be realized with a simple constitution.

Abstract: In the method, apparatus and the substance produced thereby: a plasma flame 1 is produced by a plasma torch 11; the plasma flame 1 is passed through a plasma flame furnace 21 which controls the heat of the plasma flame 1; then, the plasma flame 1 is injected into a reactor column 31 to heat the substance. The substance may be a particle. The plasma flame 1 has a wide flame area in which a temperature of flame is uniform.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma display panel, comprising a rear substrate provided with ribs defining discharge cells, address electrodes and phosphor layers, and a front substrate provided with transparent electrodes extending in a direction perpendicular to the address electrodes, a transparent dielectric layer and a protective layer, discharge being brought about within the discharge cell formed between the rear substrate and the front substrate to excite the phosphor contained in the phosphor layer so as to cause the phosphor to emit a visible light. In this plasma display panel, the phosphor particles forming the phosphor layer have an average particle size of 0.1 to 5 .mu.m and a ratio of the largest curvature to the smallest curvature of at most 1.5. Also, the magnitude of the irregularities on the surface of the phosphor particle is at most 5% of the diameter of the phosphor particle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphor suitable for use in a cathode-ray tube, a fluorescent lamp, a radiation intensifying screen, which comprises transparent spherical particles having an average particle size of 0.5 to 20 .mu.m and a ratio of the major diameter to the minor meter of individual particles in the range of 1.0 to 1.5, and ultrafine particles having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m less in an amount of 5 wt % or less.

Abstract: In the method, apparatus and the substance produced thereby: a plasma flame 1 is produced by a plasma torch 11; the plasma flame 1 is passed through a plasma flame furnace 21 which controls the heat of the plasma flame 1; then, the plasma flame 1 is injected into a reactor column 31 to heat the substance. The substance may be a particle. The plasma flame 1 has a wide flame area in which a temperature of flame is uniform.