The present invention provides an emitter, which comprises carbon nanotubes and is excellent in the efficiency of electron emission, and an X-ray tube comprising the same.

An open microfocus X-ray source and a control method thereof are provided. The open microfocus X-ray source includes: an open X-ray tube, a high voltage power supply (HVPS) system, a vacuum system and a control system. The open X-ray tube includes a cathode system, a deflection system and a focusing system. The HVPS system is configured to provide an emission current I.sub.0, an accelerating high voltage U.sub.0 and a grid voltage U.sub.G for an electron beam. The vacuum system is configured to perform vacuumization. The control system is configured to control, according to a spot size of an electron beam for bombarding an anode target, the HVPS system to adjust the emission current I.sub.0, the accelerating high voltage U.sub.0, a deflection coil current I.sub.XY of the deflection system, and a focusing coil current I.sub.F of the focusing system, such that the spot size meets a preset requirement.

A cathode assembly component (CC) for X-ray imaging, comprising a monolithic outer shell (OS) with electron optical functionality and, insertable in said shell, an insulator structure (INS) for two or more electrodes.

The present disclosure is related to a microwave source. The microwave source may include a cathode heater and a thermionic emitter. The cathode heater may include a first component, and a second component enclosing at least a portion of the first component. The thermionic emitter may be configured to release electrons when the thermionic emitter is heated by the cathode heater. At least a portion of the second component of the cathode heater may be in contact with the thermionic emitter.

The invention relates to an X-ray source (10) comprising at least one waveguide (30) for X-ray radiation, wherein the at least one waveguide (30) has a core (32) and a casing (40) surrounding the core (32), and wherein at least one part of the waveguide (30) is designed to emit X-ray radiation (50), if the part of the waveguide (30) is bombarded with electrons (52). The invention also relates to a system for generating X-ray radiation comprising an X-ray source of this type, and a method for generating X-ray radiation by means of an X-ray source of this type or a system of this type.

Disclosed is an electron beam generation source including: an electron discharge part extending on a desired axis and configured to discharge electrons; a support part electrically connected to a power supply device that supplies electric power to the electron discharge part; a tension holding part connected between one end of the electron discharge part and the support part and configured to hold tension of the electron discharge part with a pressing force or a tensile force; and a power supply path part having one end electrically connected to the support part and the other end electrically connected to the one end of the electron discharge part. An electric resistance value of the tension holding part is larger than an electric resistance value of the power supply path part.

Disclosed is an electron beam generation source including: an electron discharge part extending on a desired axis and configured to discharge electrons; a movable part connected to one end of the electron discharge part; a support part configured to support the movable part to be movable along the axis; and a tension holding part configured to hold tension of the electron discharge part by applying a pressing force or a tensile force to the movable part. The movable part and the tension holding part are disposed on the axis.

According to one embodiment, an X-ray tube device includes an anode target including a target surface and a cathode including a plurality of electron generation sources configured to emit the electrons, a vacuum envelope configured to house the cathode and the anode target and internally sealed in a vacuum airtight manner, and a quadrupole magnetic-field generator configured to form a magnetic field by being supplied with a current from a power source, the quadrupole magnetic-field generator being installed on an outer side of the vacuum envelope and constituted of a quadrupole surrounding a periphery of electron orbits of the electrons emitted simultaneously from each of the plurality of electron generation sources.

A cathode assembly design is provided that includes two flat emitters, a longer emitter filament and a shorter emitter filament. In one implementation the focal spot sizes produced by the long and short emitters overlap over a range. Thus, one emitter filament may be suitable for generating small and concentrated focal spot sizes while the other emitter filament is suitable for generating small and large focal spots sizes.

An x-ray tube assembly includes an x-ray tube with a vacuum envelope in which an emitter and an anode are arranged. The emitter is configured to be heated by an external coil emitter heating current supply. The emitter is configured as a flat emitter and an adaptation circuit is arranged between the flat emitter and the coil emitter heating current supply. A coil-emitter-based x-ray tube assembly may be replaced by a flat emitter-based x-ray tube assembly without constructional changes.