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US 2022/0093358 A1Published application
X-Ray Tube with Multi-Element Target
AssigneeMoxtek, Inc.
InventorsEric Miller, Mike Ossofsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An x-ray source can have increased x-ray flux and can simultaneously provide characteristic peaks and from multiple, different chemical elements. The target can include multiple layers of different chemical compositions. These layers can be distinguished by a higher atomic number, a higher energy K-alpha x-ray characteristic line, and a higher density in one layer compared to another layer. The layer that is lower in these characteristics can face the x-ray window. The layers can be formed by sputter deposition.
Claims20
An x-ray tube comprising:
- a cathode and an anode electrically insulated from one another, the cathode configured to emit electrons in an electron-beam towards the anode, the anode including a target configured to generate and emit x-rays out of the x-ray tube in response to impinging electrons from the cathode, and an x-ray window located to allow the x-rays generated in the target material to emit out of the x-ray tube;
- the target has multiple primary-layers of different chemical compositions, including a high-layer and a low-layer, the high-layer and the low-layer have different chemical compositions with respect to each other, and the low-layer faces the x-ray window;
- the high-layer includes a high-element, a weight percent of the high-element in the high-layer is higher than any other element in the high-layer;
- the low-layer includes a low-element, a weight percent of the low-element in the low-layer is higher than any other element in the low-layer;
- and
- Z(H)>Z(L), where Z(H) is an atomic number of the high-element and Z(L) is an atomic number of the low-element.
3 more elements
An x-ray tube comprising:
- a cathode and an anode electrically insulated from one another, the cathode configured to emit electrons in an electron-beam towards the anode, the anode including a target configured to generate and emit x-rays out of the x-ray tube in response to impinging electrons from the cathode, and an x-ray window located to allow the x-rays generated in the target material to emit out of the x-ray tube;
- the target has multiple primary-layers of different chemical compositions, including a high-layer and a low-layer, the high-layer and the low-layer have different chemical compositions with respect to each other, and the low-layer faces the x-ray window;
- the high-layer includes a high-element, a weight percent of the high-element in the high-layer is higher than any other element in the high-layer;
- the low-layer includes a low-element, a weight percent of the low-element in the low-layer is higher than any other element in the low-layer;
- and
- Kα1(H)>Kα1(L), where Kα1(H) is a higher energy K-alpha x-ray characteristic line of the high-element and Kα1(L) is a higher energy K-alpha x-ray characteristic line of the low-element.
3 more elements
An x-ray tube comprising:
- a cathode and an anode electrically insulated from one another, the cathode configured to emit electrons in an electron-beam towards the anode, and the anode including a target configured to emit x-rays out of the x-ray tube in response to impinging electrons from the cathode;
- and
- the target having multiple layers of different chemical compositions, including a high-layer, a first-transition-layer, and a low-layer, the first-transition-layer is sandwiched between the high-layer and the low-layer, the high-layer and the low-layer have different chemical compositions with respect to each other, and the first-transition-layer has an intermediate chemical composition between chemical compositions of the high-layer and the low-layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.