Various systems are provided for an X-ray system. In one example, the X-ray system comprising a high-voltage connector physically coupled to a cathode of an X-ray tube via a plurality of pins, wherein the pins comprise niobium.

Various systems are provided for an X-ray system. In one example, the X-ray system comprising a high-voltage connector physically coupled to a cathode of an X-ray tube via a plurality of pins, wherein the pins comprise niobium.

Disclosed is a ceramic shielding apparatus including at least one shield made of a ceramic material and provided inside or outside an X-ray tube to shield radiation; and supports configured to support the shield. According to such a configuration, disadvantages of conventional shielding materials such as lead can be addressed, so that a shield apparatus having excellent shielding properties while being harmless to the human body can be provided.

A method is for detecting high-voltage flashovers in X-ray equipment including an X-ray emitter and a high-voltage supply. The X-ray emitter has an X-ray tube, surrounded by an insulating medium; and the high-voltage supply has a high-voltage generator and a cable. The cable is at least part of a connecting passage between the high-voltage generator and the X-ray tube. During normal operation of the X-ray equipment, an interference pulse, which occurs due to the high-voltage flashover in the connecting passage, is detected and evaluated with the aid of a measuring device, including a measuring element. As such, an assessment of the condition of the X-ray emitter and of other high voltage-carrying components, and measures that follow, are made using the evaluated interference pulse.

A charged particle device includes an electron emitting part for emitting electrons, an electron irradiated part configured to be irradiated with the electrons emitted from the electron emitting part, a container part configured to evacuate an interior thereof and contain the electron irradiated part in the interior thereof, an electric wire containing part configured to be inserted from an outside of the container part via an insertion part provided in the container part to contain an electric wire through which electricity is conducted to the electron irradiated part contained in the container part, and an insertion-part-side protrusion part configured to surround the electric wire containing part and protrude from a vicinity of the insertion part on an inner wall of the container part to an interior of the container part.

A receptacle for receiving a plug connector of a high-voltage cable for a microfocus X-ray tube with a cathode, which has a metal filament and grid cap. The receptacle has a ceramic insulator with three contiguous cavities. The first cavity near the filament includes electrical contacts for the filament and the grid cap. The second cavity includes spring contacts for supplying current to the filament and a center pin for supplying voltage to the grid. The third cavity receives the plug connector. The insulator has a removable grid mounting which is conductively connected to the grid cap of the cathode. The first and second cavities are surrounded in the radial direction by the grid mounting. An air gap extends radially between grid mounting and ceramic body. At the end of the grid mounting remote from the filament is a circumferential groove in the axial direction between the grid mounting and the ceramic insulator.

According to one embodiment, an X-ray tube includes a vacuum enclosure that maintains a vacuum inside, a cathode provided in the vacuum enclosure, which emits an electron beam, an anode target provided in the vacuum enclosure, which emits an X-ray when the electron beam emitted from the cathode enters a focal plane of the anode target, and an X-ray radiation window that allows the X-ray emitted from the focal plane of the anode target to pass therethrough, and the X-ray radiation window comprises a window member and a support for the window member, the vacuum enclosure includes a joint portion formed thereon to be joined to the support and protrude toward an outer side of the vacuum enclosure, and the support comprises a covering portion that covers an inner circumferential surface of the joint portion.

An X-ray source (10) for generating X-rays (11) is provided. The X-ray source (10) comprises an emitter arrangement (12) for generating electrons or for generating X-rays, at least one feedthrough (38) for supplying electrical power to the emitter arrangement (12), and an insulator (20) configured for isolating an electrical potential of the at least one feedthrough (38) from a ground potential. Therein, the at least one feedthrough (38) extends at least partly through the insulator (20), and at least a part of the insulator (20) is in thermal contact with at least a part of the emitter arrangement (12). Further, the insulator (20) comprises at least one cooling channel (28) formed completely in an interior volume (25) of the insulator (20) and configured to dissipate heat from the emitter arrangement (12), wherein a distance (29) between an outer surface (26) of the insulator (20) and the cooling channel (28) is at least as large as half of a thickness (27) of the cooling channel (20).

The invention comprises an alignment guide apparatus and a method of use thereof for aligning an imaging beam, longitudinally passing through an exit nozzle of an imaging system, to an imaging zone of a sample, includes the steps of: (1) providing an alignment guide, the alignment guide comprising: (a) a guide wall at least partially circumferentially enclosing an aperture, (b) a first laser element connected to the guide wall, and (c) a second laser element connected to the guide wall; (2) inserting the exit nozzle of the imaging system into the aperture; (3) projecting a first line from the first laser element onto the sample; (4) projecting a second line from the second laser element onto the sample; and (5) moving the sample relative to the exit nozzle of the imaging system to position an intersection of the first line and the second line at the imaging zone to align the imaging beam to the imaging zone.

Electron beam spot characteristics can be tuned in each x-ray tube by moving a focusing-ring along a longitudinal-axis of the x-ray tube. The focusing-ring can then be immovably fastened to the x-ray tube. An x-ray source can include an x-ray tube and a focusing-ring. The focusing-ring can at least partially encircle an electron-emitter, a cathode, an evacuated-enclosure, or combinations thereof. The focusing-ring can be located outside of a vacuum of the evacuated enclosure. The focusing-ring can adjust an electron-beam spot on a target material of the x-ray tube when moved along a longitudinal-axis extending linearly from the electron-emitter to the target material.