KR20240002247A - X-ray tube with arc resistant structure - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an X-ray tube comprises: a tube body made of an insulating material and having a predetermined space formed therein; an anode unit arranged at one end of the tube body and having a target coupled thereto; a cathode unit arranged inside the tube body to face the anode unit; and a base unit formed of an insulating material and having the cathode unit arranged on an upper surface thereof, wherein the base unit seals the other end of the tube body and at least one electrode terminal passes through the base unit. The cathode unit comprises at least one arcing prevention structure which is arranged inside the tube body and couples the cathode unit and the base unit.

Description

X-ray tube with arcing prevention structure {X-RAY TUBE WITH ARC RESISTANT STRUCTURE}

The present invention relates to an X-ray tube having an anti-arcing structure.

A typical X-ray generator consists of a cathode (cathode) that generates an electron beam and an anode (anode) that generates X-rays when the electron beam from the cathode collides with high kinetic energy.

In other words, the output of the X-ray generator is proportional to the current of the electron beam coming from the cathode (tube current) and the voltage applied between the cathode and anode (tube voltage).

At this time, a target made of a metal material with a high atomic number such as tungsten, molybdenum, and copper is formed at the anode, and electrons that hit the target undergo acceleration due to electromagnetic interaction with the target atoms and emit X-ray radiation.

Alternatively, when electrons bound to a target atom are excited by exchanging momentum and energy with electrons hitting the target and then return to the ground state, they emit electromagnetic radiation corresponding to the energy difference between the excited state and the ground state. creates .

In order for the above configurations to operate, the inside of the X-ray generator must maintain a vacuum state. To maintain the vacuum state, the finished area is completely sealed through brazing or welding. As the X-ray generator is operated in a completely sealed state, excessive heat stress generated during brazing and separate welding is transmitted into the In addition, there is a problem in that electrons emitted from the cathode collide with by-products and this reduces the sustainability of the vacuum, causing deterioration in X-ray performance and unintentional arcing that causes damage to the cathode.

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and its technical task is to provide an X-ray tube with an anti-arcing structure that can collect impurities and absorb instantaneous energy.

The technical problems to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems of the present invention can be derived from the following description.

As a technical means for solving the above-described technical problem, an An anode part to which a target is combined, a cathode part disposed inside the tube body to face the anode part, and an insulating material, the cathode part is disposed on the upper surface, sealing the other end of the tube body, and at least one electrode It includes a base portion through which a terminal passes, and the cathode portion is disposed within the tube body and includes at least one anti-arcing structure that couples the cathode portion and the base portion.

In addition, the cathode portion for an It includes a fixing module and a focusing module disposed on an upper part of the chip fixing module and coupled to the at least one anti-arcing structure.

According to the present invention, damage to the cathode can be prevented by collecting impurities and absorbing instantaneous energy such as arcing through the arcing prevention structure.

In addition, unlike existing X-ray tubes, damage to the cathode can be prevented because electrons emitted from the cathode do not collide with by-products during their path.

Additionally, the vacuum inside the tube can be maintained for a longer period of time, preventing deterioration in the performance of the X-ray tube and ensuring performance reliability.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and include all effects understood from the following description.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an X-ray tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the combined structure of the cathode portion and the base portion.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling structure shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the arcing prevention structure of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, used herein should be interpreted as meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art in the technical field to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as having additional meanings consistent with the related technical literature and currently disclosed content, and should not be interpreted in a very ideal or limited sense unless otherwise defined.

In order to clearly explain the present disclosure in the drawings, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the size, shape, and shape of each component shown in the drawings may be modified in various ways. Throughout the specification, identical/similar parts are given identical/similar reference numerals.

The suffixes "module" and "part" for components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of preparing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves. Additionally, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed descriptions are omitted.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected (connected, contacted, or combined)” with another part, this means not only when it is “directly connected (connected, contacted, or combined),” but also when it has other members in between. It also includes cases where they are “indirectly connected (connected, contacted, or combined).” Additionally, when a part is said to "include (equip or provide)" a certain component, this does not exclude other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary, but rather "includes (provides or provides)" other components. It means that you can.

Terms representing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., used in this specification are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component and do not limit the order or relationship of the components. For example, the first component of the present disclosure may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component. As used herein, singular forms of expression should be construed to also include plural forms of expression, unless the contrary is clearly indicated.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an X-ray tube 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the X-ray tube 100 includes a tube body 110, an anode portion 120, a cathode portion 130, a base portion 140, and an electrode terminal 150.

The tube body 110 constituting the X-ray tube 100 may be made of an insulating material and may be formed in a cylindrical shape with a predetermined space formed therein. At this time, the insulating material may be made of ceramic, but is not limited to this and may be made of an insulating material such as glass or silicon.

For example, the thickness of the tube body 110 may be 3 mm or less, but may be formed to a thickness that has sufficient mechanical strength to support external pressure such as atmospheric pressure generated by an internal vacuum. Additionally, the thickness of the tube body 110 may be formed to a thickness that allows X-rays generated from the target to pass through the tube body 110 and be efficiently emitted to the outside. If it is difficult to maintain mechanical strength by lowering the overall thickness of the tube body 110, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the local area to, for example, 1.7 mm or less by polishing only the X-ray window area where X-rays are emitted.

Although not shown in the drawing, the upper region of the tube body 110 may be composed of a first tube, and the lower region of the tube body 110 may be composed of a second tube.

For example, the A cathode portion 130 arranged to face the cathode portion 130 is accommodated at one end, a second tube coupled to the first tube, disposed below the second tube, and having at least one electrode terminal 150. It may also be composed of a base portion 140 formed to penetrate.

The anode portion 120 is disposed at one end of the tube body and is coupled to the target. The anode portion 120 may be formed of a metal with high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. For example, the anode portion 120 may be formed of a combination of oxygen-free copper and KOVAR alloy, and KOVAR may be made of an iron-nickel-cobalt alloy. KOVAR alloy is prepared to have a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of ceramic, which is advantageous for forming a bond with an insulator made of ceramic, and oxygen-free copper is advantageous for dissipating heat generated from the target due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity. do.

Additionally, the anode portion 120 may be formed as a rotating electrode. Specifically, the anode unit 120 may be composed of a target provided on a rotating electrode, a rotor supporting the target, and a rotating shaft. Accordingly, as the target rotates when X-rays are generated, the electron beam collision area is formed into a circular track, thereby generating high output X-rays.

Here, the target is a material made of elements with a high melting point and high atomic number, and can generate X-rays with high efficiency when an electron beam collides with it. Here, the target may be formed of a material such as tungsten.

For example, the target may be formed as a transmissive or reflective target. In the case of the reflective type, a window, which is an entrance/exit of X-rays emitted from the inside to the outside, may be formed in the tube body 110. For example, the window may be made of a metal material such as beryllium or aluminum, or a glass material coated with a fluorescent material. If the window is made of a metal material such as beryllium, it may be filtered to emit only X-rays of a predetermined wavelength or less. On the other hand, when the window is made of glass material coated with a fluorescent material, visible light can be emitted through the window.

The anode portion 120 may include a flange 121 bent around the outer surface of the tube body 110. Here, the flange 121 may be formed of a material such as KOVAR, which has a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to the material of the tube body 110. Accordingly, when the tube body 110 and the anode portion 120 are joined through the flange 121, the integrity of the joint and vacuum tightness can be maintained despite wide temperature changes between high and low temperatures at the joint area.

The cathode portion 130 is disposed inside the tube body 110 to face the anode portion 120. The cathode portion 130 may be disposed on the other end of the tube body 110. Additionally, the cathode portion 130 may be mounted on the top of the base portion 140 in a prefabricated manner.

The cathode portion 130 may include an arcing prevention structure, a chip fixing module, and a focusing module, and detailed descriptions thereof will be provided later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The base portion 140 is made of an insulating material, has a cathode portion 130 disposed on its upper surface, seals the other end of the tube body 110, and has at least one electrode terminal 150 therethrough. At this time, the electrode terminal 150 supports the cathode portion 130 and may be electrically connected to it.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the coupling structure of the cathode portion 130 and the base portion 140, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling structure shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a modification of the anti-arcing structure 132 of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view showing an example.

2 to 4, the cathode portion 130 is disposed to face the anode portion 120 at the other end of the tube body 110, includes an anti-arcing structure 132, and has a chip die 131. , it may further include a chip fixing module 133, a height adjustment module 134, a focusing module 135, and a connecting means 136.

The chip die 131 is provided in the shape of a plate-like rectangular parallelepiped and includes at least one electrode terminal 150 on its upper surface, and an emitter chip is coupled thereto and connected to at least one electrode terminal 150. Here, the emitter chip is an electrode that generates negative electrons and controls the trajectory of the emitted electrons. The emitter chip is composed of field emitter arrays (FEA) and may be formed in a Spindt type. Additionally, the emitter chip may include a conductive material made of metal or carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are nanomaterials. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

The arcing prevention structure 132 is provided in one or more pieces, is disposed within the tube body 110, and couples the cathode portion 130 and the base portion 140. The arcing prevention structure 132 may guide the arrangement of the tube body 110 and the cathode portion 130.

The arcing prevention structure 132 may be made of a metal material and may be coupled to the ground of the cathode portion 130.

The arcing prevention structure 132 may penetrate the chip fixing module 133 and the focusing module 135 to fix the configuration of the cathode portion 130. As an example, one end of the anti-arcing structure 132 penetrates the focusing module 135 and is coupled to the focusing module 135, and the other end of the anti-arcing structure 132 may be coupled with the base portion 140. . Through this, the cathode portion 130 and the base portion 140 can be configured as one module. In this way, the X-ray tube 100 of the present invention can be configured with the cathode portion 130 and the base portion 140 as one module through the anti-arcing structure 132 and the fastening means. Here, the height of the arcing prevention structure 132 may be the same as the height corresponding to the position of the focusing module 135, as shown in FIG. 3, and may be higher than the height of the focusing module 132. In other words, the height of the anti-arcing structure 132 may have a height ranging from the height of the focusing module 135 to a height that does not contact the anode portion 120.

The arcing prevention structure 132 may operate like a lightning rod. Damage to the cathode portion 130 can be prevented by collecting impurities and absorbing instantaneous energy such as arcing through the arcing prevention structure 132.

The chip fixing module 133 is made of an insulator, and the chip die 131 is fixed to its upper surface. In order to fix the chip die 131, a seating groove in which the chip die 131 is seated is formed on the upper surface of the chip fixing module 133.

At least one first through hole is formed in the chip fixing module 133, and the arcing prevention structure 132 can be inserted through the first through hole.

One or more height adjustment modules 134 may be provided and placed below the chip fixing module 133. At least one second through hole is formed in the height adjustment module 134, and the anti-arcing structure 132 can be inserted through the second through hole. However, although the drawing shows the cathode portion 130 including the height adjustment module 134, the cathode portion 130 may not include the height adjustment block 134.

The focusing module 135 is disposed on the upper part of the chip fixing module 133 and focuses the electron beam emitted from the emitter chip onto the anode unit 120. The focusing module 135 is generally manufactured using a hole shape, or can be manufactured by transferring one or several layers of graphene onto a lens. Additionally, two or more focusing units 135 may be used.

At least one third through hole is formed in the focusing module 135, and the anti-arcing structure 132 can be inserted through the third through hole.

The connecting means 136 connects the chip fixing module 133 and the height adjustment module 134, and the height adjustment module 134 and the base portion 140 to each other. Each component of the cathode portion 110 can be coupled through the connecting means 134, and the cathode portion 110 and the base portion 30 can be primarily coupled.

The base portion 140 is made of an insulating material, has a cathode portion 130 disposed on its upper surface, seals the other end of the tube body 110, and has at least one electrode terminal 150 therethrough. Here, the upper surface of the base portion 140 is made of a metal layer of a predetermined thickness, and the insulating material may be made of ceramic, but is not limited thereto and may be made of an insulating material such as glass or silicon.

Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will be able to understand, based on the above description, that the present disclosure can be easily modified into another specific form without changing its technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the patent claims described later, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present application is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present application.

110: Tube body
120: Anode part
130: cathode part
131: chip die
132: Arcing prevention structure
133: Chip holding module
134: Height adjustment module
135: focusing module
136: Connection means
140: base part
150: electrode terminal

Claims (12)

In the x-ray tube,
A tube body made of an insulating material and having a predetermined space therein;
An anode portion disposed at one end of the tube body and coupled with a target;
a cathode portion disposed inside the tube body to face the anode portion; and
It is made of an insulating material, the cathode part is disposed on the upper surface, the other end of the tube body is sealed, and it includes a base part through which at least one electrode terminal penetrates,
The cathode part,
An X-ray tube that is disposed within the tube body and includes at least one anti-arcing structure that couples the cathode portion and the base portion. According to paragraph 1,
The cathode part,
An X-ray tube that is prefabricated and mounted on the upper part of the base portion. According to paragraph 1,
The cathode part,
a chip fixing module made of an insulating material and connected to the at least one electrode terminal;
A focusing module disposed on the chip fixing module and coupled to the at least one arcing prevention structure.
Further comprising: an x-ray tube. According to paragraph 3,
The height of the at least one anti-arcing structure is higher than the position of the focusing module. According to paragraph 3,
The at least one anti-arcing structure penetrates the chip fixing module and the focusing module to fix the cathode portion. According to clause 5,
One end of the at least one anti-arcing structure passes through the focusing module and is coupled to the focusing module, and the other end of the at least one anti-arcing structure is coupled with the base portion. According to paragraph 1,
The at least one anti-arcing structure guides the placement of the tube body and the cathode portion. According to paragraph 1,
The at least one electrode terminal is electrically coupled to the cathode portion. In the cathode part for the X-ray tube,
At least one arcing prevention structure implemented in the shape of an arcing prevention structure and disposed within the tube body;
A chip fixing module made of an insulating material and connected to at least one electrode terminal; and
A cathode unit for an According to clause 9,
The at least one arcing prevention structure penetrates the chip fixing module and the focusing module to fix the cathode portion for the X-ray tube. According to clause 10,
One end of the at least one anti-arcing structure passes through the focusing module and is coupled to the focusing module, and the other end of the at least one anti-arcing structure is coupled with the base portion. According to clause 10,
A cathode unit for an X-ray tube, wherein the height of the at least one anti-arcing structure is higher than the position of the focusing module.

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