High energy X-ray generation without the use of a high voltage power supply

An apparatus for generating X-rays comprising:

• a first conductor;
• a first insulator on a surface of the first conductor;
• a second insulator on a surface of the first insulator that is not in contact with the first conductor, the second insulator being different from the first insulator;
• a second conductor configured to move with respect to the first conductor to generate electrons;
• a field-emission diode comprised of two electrodes separated by a gap including an electric field;
• and
• a target, wherein
• electrons are trapped at an interface between the first insulator and the second insulator,
• the first insulator and the second insulator are provided between the first conductor and the second conductor,
• the second conductor is configured to move with respect to the first conductor to induce electrons on the second conductor via electrostatic induction,
• the induced electrons are configured to be accelerated across the gap of the field-emission diode via field emission, and
• the accelerated electrons are configured to strike the target to produce an X-ray.