The present invention relates to large area field emission devices based on the incorporation of macroscopic, microscopic, and nanoscopic field enhancement features and a designed forced current sharing matrix layer to enable a stable high-current density long-life field emission device. The present invention pertains to a wide range of field emission sources and is not limited to a specific field emission technology. The invention is described as an X-ray electron source but can be applied to any application requiring a high current density electron source.

An electron emitting construct design of an x-ray emitter device is disclosed configured to facilitate radiation in the X-ray spectrum and further relates to preventing a cold cathode from being damaged by ion bombardment in high-voltage applications. The electron beam emitted by the emitting construct is focused and accelerated by an electrical field towards an electron anode target operable to attract electron beam to an associated focal spot, wherein the generated ions are accelerated along a trajectory perpendicular to the electric field in parallel to the surface of the electron anode target. More specifically, the present invention relates to realizing a robust cold cathode to avoid ion bombardments damages in high-voltage applications, by means of setting non-emitter zone surrounded by or set between the emitter areas. The system is further configured to provide an angled target anode or a stepped target anode to further reduce the ion bombardment damage.

A production method for producing an anode for a cold cathode X-ray source, including the following steps: producing an element referred to as target from a first material adapted to generating X-rays from the absorption of an electron beam, the first material having a first thermal expansion coefficient Ce,1(Tu) at a predetermined temperature Tu of use of the anode in the X-ray source, producing an element referred to as target support from a second material having a second thermal expansion coefficient Ce,2(Tu) at the predetermined temperature Tu, joining the target to the target support by hard soldering using a solder material at a soldering temperature higher than the predetermined temperature Tu and higher than a melting point of the solder material, so as to form a film of solder interposed between the target and the target support.

One or more example embodiments relates to a cathode device and an X-ray source. The cathode device for an X-ray source has an electron emitter including a plurality of field effect emitter elements aligned in parallel to form an emission surface on the upper side of the plurality of field effect emitter elements aligned in parallel a gate electrode, arranged above the emission surface, a multiple first contact elements for at least two independently current-carrying current paths of the electron emitter, electrons from at least one of the current paths are emittable depending on an emission voltage between the gate electrode and the emission surface via the field effect emitter elements; and an emitter seat including multiple second contact elements, the multiple second contact elements connectable with the multiple first contact elements for closing the current paths.

A package having a field emission element may include a handle layer; a buried layer stacked on the handle layer; a device layer stacked on the buried layer; an insulating layer stacked in an upper region of the device layer; a gate electrode stacked in an upper region of the insulating layer; and at least one light-emitting element disposed in a lower region of the device layer, and configured to emit light through the device layer. The insulating layer may be configured with a plurality of insulating regions separated by first separation regions, and the gate electrode may be configured with a plurality of metal regions separated by second separation regions. The device layer may be provided with protruding portions disposed to protrude between the first separation regions between the insulating regions and the second separation regions between the metal regions.

The current stability of a field emission electron source and a Schottky electron source where a {100} plane of a hexaboride single crystal is used as an electron emission surface is improved. The electron source includes a tip of a hexaboride single crystal with a <100> axis, in which a top facet of a {100} plane that is surrounded by side facets including at least four {n11} planes and at least four {n10} planes where n represents an integer of 1, 2, or 3 is formed at a front end of the tip of the hexaboride single crystal, and a total area of the side facets of the {n11} planes is more than a total area of the side facets of the {n10} planes.

The present disclosure relates to a method for generating an image. The method may include obtaining a preliminary image of an object. The method may include determining a plurality of point radiation sources of at least one array radiation source at least partially based on an ROI of the object. The method may include determining at least one scanning parameter associated with the plurality of point radiation sources based on the preliminary image. The method may include causing the plurality of point radiation sources to emit radiation beams to the ROI to generate scan data relating to the ROI based on the at least one scanning parameter. The method may include obtaining scan data relating to the ROI. The method may further include generating a target image of the ROI based on the scan data relating to the ROI.

One or more example embodiments relates to a cathode device and an X-ray source. The cathode device for an X-ray source has an electron emitter including a plurality of field effect emitter elements aligned in parallel to form an emission surface on the upper side of the plurality of field effect emitter elements aligned in parallel a gate electrode, arranged above the emission surface, a multiple first contact elements for at least two independently current-carrying current paths of the electron emitter, electrons from at least one of the current paths are emittable depending on an emission voltage between the gate electrode and the emission surface via the field effect emitter elements; and an emitter seat including multiple second contact elements, the multiple second contact elements connectable with the multiple first contact elements for closing the current paths.

The present disclosure relates to a field emission device that generates X-rays by emitting an electron beam, and an X-ray generating apparatus using the same, including a semiconductor substrate; a bottom electrode disposed below the semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer disposed above the semiconductor substrate; a gate electrode disposed on the insulating layer; and, a top electrode disposed on the gate electrode; wherein the gate electrode is composed of a material satisfying at least one of a first condition for work function, a second condition for Gibbs free energy of a redox reaction with the insulating layer, a third condition for sublimation energy, and a fourth condition for electron mean free path.

The present invention provides an X-ray source comprising: an anode electrode on which a target is formed; a tubular-shaped first housing which is made of an insulating material and at one end of which the anode electrode is provided; a tubular-shaped second housing which is made of a conductive material and one end of which is connected to the first housing; and a cathode electrode which is provided at the other end of the second housing and has an emitter formed opposite to the target.