An electron gun includes: a cathode, which has a cathode holder and a cathode body; and a Wehnelt cylinder. The cathode holder receives the cathode body and the Wehnelt cylinder is suitable for bundling free electrons, which can escape from the cathode body toward the Wehnelt cylinder, to form an electron beam. The Wehnelt cylinder is interlockingly arranged, at least in some parts along a first inner surface facing the cathode holder, on an outer surface of the cathode holder and at least partly extends around the cathode holder.

Provided is an electron beam source for generating an electron beam comprising a cathode, an anode and a grid for regulating an electron beam current. The cathode has a base and a protrusion with sidewalls and a top surface. The base surface and the top surface are essentially flat. The base surface and the top surface are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other. The base is larger than the protrusion. The electron beam source further comprising a control unit adapted for changing an applied voltage to the grid for switching a spot size of the electron beam on a target surface between at least a first a first spot size corresponding to emission from the top surface of the cathode only and to a second spot size corresponding to emission from the top surface and the base surface of the cathode.

Controlling total emission current of an electron emitting construct in an x-ray emitting device by providing a cathode, providing multiple active areas each active area having a gated cone electron source, including multiple emitter tips arranged in an array, a gate electrode, and a gate interconnect lead connected to the gate electrode, providing an x-ray emitting construct comprising an anode, the anode being an x-ray target, situating the x-ray emitting construct facing the active areas face each other, selecting a set of active areas, and activating selected active areas by conductively connecting a voltage source to their associated the gate electrode interconnect lead.

The disclosure relates to an image capture device comprising an electron receiving construct and an electron emitting construct, and further comprising an inner gap providing an unobstructed space between the electron emitting construct and the electron receiving construct. The disclosure further relates to an x-ray emitting device comprising an x-ray emitting construct and an electron emitting construct, said x-ray emitting construct comprising an anode, the anode being an x-ray target, wherein the x-ray emitting device may comprise an inner gap providing an unobstructed space between the electron emitting construct and the x-ray emitting construct. The disclosure further relates to an x-ray imaging system comprising an image capture device and an x-ray emitting device.

An electron gun includes an emitter, an electron gun electrode, and a short-circuiting mechanism for setting the emitter and the electron gun electrode at the same potential. The short-circuiting mechanism includes a first switch member provided with a first switch electrode that is connected to the emitter and a second switch electrode that is connected to the electron gun electrode, a second switch member provided with a third switch electrode, and a drive unit that operates at least one of the first switch member and the second switch member to switch between a state in which the first switch electrode and the second switch electrode are in contact with the third switch electrode and a state in which the first switch electrode and the second switch electrode are separated from the third switch electrode. The short-circuiting mechanism has the same potential as a predetermined voltage.

In the present invention, a flat emitter is formed by the formation of emitter material wires into a unitary non-porous flat emitter structure. The wires are formed with increased yield and tensile strength as a result of the manner of the formation of the emitter material or metal into the wires that is transferred to the flat emitter. To form the flat emitter, the wires are encapsulated and subjected to sufficient temperatures and pressure in a hot isostatic pressing treatment/process to increase the density of the wires into a solid sheet without the presence of voids or pores in the sheet. In forming the emitter sheet in this manner, the strength properties from the wires are retained within the sheet to provide the emitter with increased creep resistance and a consequently longer useful life in the x-ray tube.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, comprising an external base forming at least a portion of the enclosure; an internal base within the enclosure; and at least one thermal dissipative strap assembly, comprising: an internal base thermal conductive base in contact with the internal base, an external base thermal conductive base in contact with the external base, and a flexible thermal dissipative strap coupling the internal base thermal conductive base to the external base thermal conductive base.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, the enclosure including an external base including an opening; an internal base within the enclosure; and an adjustable support assembly adjustably coupling the internal base to the external base and extending through the opening, the adjustable support assembly comprising: a threaded shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and coupled to the internal base; a threaded hole component threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft and coupled to the external base such that the threaded hole component is axially constrained in a direction along the longitudinal axis relative to the external base independent of the threaded shaft; and a flexible component coupled to the external base and the threaded shaft and sealing the opening.

A permanent-magnet particle beam apparatus and method incorporating a non-magnetic portion for tunability are provided. The permanent-magnet particle beam apparatus includes a particle beam emitter that emits a charged particle beam, and includes a set of permanent magnets forming a magnetic field for controlling condensing of the charged particle beam. The permanent-magnet particle beam apparatus further includes a non-magnetic electrical conductor component situated with the set of permanent magnets to control a kinetic energy of the charged particle beam moving through the magnetic field.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device that exhibits high performance due to the use of vanadium glass coatings, and to provide a method of manufacturing a component for a charged particle beam device. Specifically provided is a charged particle beam device using a vacuum component characterized by comprising a metal container, the interior space of which is evacuated to form a high vacuum, and coating layers formed on the surface on the interior space-side of the metal container, wherein the coating layers are vanadium-containing glass, which is to say an amorphous substance. Coating vanadium glass onto walls of a space where it is desirable to form a high vacuum, for example walls in the vicinity of an electron source, reduces gas discharge in the vicinity of the electron source, and the getter effect of the coating layer induces localized evacuation and enables the formation of an extremely high vacuum, even in spaces having a complex structure, without providing a large high-vacuum pump.