X-ray Tubes and Sources

X-ray tubes and X-ray sources are lamps that produce X-rays. Some products are used in medical, dental, and industrial imaging applications. Others are used in baggage inspection units and airport security systems. X-ray tubes and sources that are used particle analysis and metrology applications are also available. Specifications for X-ray tubes and sources include volts, amps, focal spot size, target angle, and anode heat storage capacity. In general, X-ray tubes and sources are located within a vacuum compartment that permits a beam to remain unobstructed during passage through the vacuum.

X-ray tubes and X-ray sources function in a variety of ways. X-ray tubes and sources work by utilizing an X-ray generator that produces the flow of electrons and will use the electrical current and transform it to a higher voltage. A conventional x-ray generator consists of these four components: thermionic emission from a heated electrode, a short hollow sealed glass tube, a potential difference, i.e., a voltage applied from a transformer, and a Tungsten target. By applying an X-ray high voltage generator to the X-ray tube, this allows electrons to be released from the filament cathode. From the cathode, the electrons will race towards the anode, which will produce an X-ray at a certain wavelength. From here the electrons continue towards a beryllium foil that absorbs the scattered electrons allowing the X-rays to pass through the tube. After passing through the tube, the X-rays from the X-ray source enter the body and the image is captured to make a final image. An X-ray tube is often composed of glass or surrounded by metal that is sealed by a vacuum. In a dome shaped part of the tube is where the cathode is located. X-ray tubes and sources can produce large amounts of heat during the process of forming a beam, and this usually occurs when the electrons are being fired from the cathode.

X-ray tubes and X-ray sources are commonly found and used within the medical industry to view body structures. Other functions of X-ray tubes and X-ray sources include using it in for security purposes such as with airport security, in cosmology and crystallography as well. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) have developed standards for x-ray tubes and X-ray sources.

• Simultaneous XRD/XRF with Low-Power X-Ray Tubes
  A test bench instrument constructed at MOXTEK, Inc. is capable of simultaneously capturing X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) information using a charge-coupled device (CCD) as the...
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• Miniature X-Ray Tubes Utilizing Carbon-Nanotube-Based Cold Cathodes
  The electron field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes enable the fabrication of cold cathodes for a variety of vacuum device applications. The utilization of these cathodes is an attractive...
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• Measurement Examples Using Polycapillary Parallel-beam Optics System (.pdf)
  The term "polycapillary" indicates multiple (poly) fine glass tubes (capillaries) that guide X-rays. Xrays generated by a point source are accepted at a high solid angle by the polycapillaries, and...
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