- You are here:About
- Research and Development
- Introduction of Core Technologies
- Material Field
- Silver Halide Fine Grain Forming Technology
Research and Development
About
Material Field
Silver Halide Fine Grain Forming Technology
Long awaited maximum density 4.0 in the field of medical imaging
Silver halide crystallization technology is a material technology to handle micrometer to nanometer size materials in the field of silver halide photography.
Currently, even higher image quality is required for dry processing X-ray film. In recent years, higher density to improve contrast became more important issue for X-ray films. With its long years of experience in silver halide grain forming technology, Konica Minolta obtained the world’s first maximum density 4.0 and succeeded in improving image quality capable of detecting extremely minute extraordinary spots.
Succeeded in forming ultra-fine grain with average grain size less than 50 nanometer
Silver halide grains produced via conventional technology (left) and via new technology (right).
In order to maximize density of X-ray film, it is necessary to increase a number of silver halide grains. However, if merely coating volume is increased, it leads to a drop in image stock stability. So, for increasing a number of grains while maintaining coating volume, it is necessary to develop a technology to reduce silver halide grain size.
Konica Minolta, as one of leading silver halide film manufacturer, has technology to form nanometer size grains as one of its core technologies since more than 30 years ago. One of its latest developments is to reduce average grain size to less than 50 nanometers where as the conventional average grain size ranges from 100 to 50 nanometers for medical imaging film. In the process of forming nanometer size silver halide grains, a phenomenon called “Ostwald ripening” often occurs. Konica Minolta succeeded in controlling this phenomenon while obtaining uniformed ultra-fine silver halide grains by low temperature grain forming technology, thus attained the maximum density 4.0 enabling high contrast imaging film.
