KR20230164783A - X-ray source - Google Patents

Abstract

The X-ray tube according to the present invention includes a tube body made of an insulating material and having a predetermined space therein; an anode electrode disposed on one end of the tube body and coupled with a target; It is disposed at the other end of the tube body to face the anode electrode, and is provided with a cathode electrode and an insulating material combined with a chip carrier containing an emitter chip, and seals the tube body and has a seal through which one or more electrode terminals penetrate. The cathode electrode includes a base portion made of an insulating material, the electrode terminal is connected to the base portion, and the chip carrier is fixed to the upper portion, the cathode electrode is coupled to the electrode terminal, and the chip carrier is attached to the base portion. Includes a plurality of clamps for fastening.

Description

X-ray tube{X-RAY SOURCE}

The present invention relates to an x-ray tube.

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 an Cathode emitters are being used.

In particular, in the case of an FEA chip manufactured using a semiconductor process, the FEA chip is fixed by bonding to the base material to be fixed in the X-ray generator, and wire bonding is performed between each pin and the FEA chip to realize electricity supply between electrodes.

In order to fix the FEA chip to the base material, a bonding process is first performed between the FEA chip and the base material, and secondly, a wire bonding process for energizing the FEA chip is performed.

In order to fix the FEA chip to the base material, two processes are performed, and each process has many restrictions and quality control issues, so the production time is long.

Also, if an issue occurs in the quality of the FEA chip during the manufacturing of the is required.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its technical task is to provide an X-ray generator that simplifies the joining process using a clamp.

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 embodiment of the present invention includes: a tube body made of an insulating material and having a predetermined space therein; an anode electrode disposed on one end of the tube body and coupled with a target; It is disposed at the other end of the tube body to face the anode electrode, and is provided with a cathode electrode and an insulating material combined with a chip carrier containing an emitter chip, and seals the tube body and has a seal through which one or more electrode terminals penetrate. The cathode electrode includes a base portion made of an insulating material, the electrode terminal is connected to the base portion, and the chip carrier is fixed to the upper portion, the cathode electrode is coupled to the electrode terminal, and the chip carrier is attached to the base portion. Includes a plurality of clamps for fastening.

According to the present invention, the process time can be shortened by fixing the chip carrier using a plurality of clamps.

In particular, with the plurality of clamps according to the present invention, if a problem occurs in the chip carrier during manufacturing, only the chip carrier can be replaced, and parts other than the chip carrier can be reused, thereby improving productivity.

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 front view of an X-ray tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the X-ray tube cut along line BB shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cathode electrode.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the equipment unit.
Figure 5 is a perspective view and side cross-sectional view of the clamp.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of an electrode terminal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention 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. In order to clearly explain the present invention 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 invention may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component.

Figure 1 is a front view of an X-ray tube according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the X-ray tube cut along line B-B shown in Figure 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the X-ray tube 100 includes a tube body 110, an anode electrode 120, a cathode electrode 130, an electrode terminal 140, and a sealing portion 150.

The tube body 110 is made of an insulating material, and a predetermined space is formed inside.

The anode electrode 120 is disposed on one end of the tube body 110, and the target 125 is coupled thereto.

The anode electrode 120 may be formed of a metal with high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. For example, the anode electrode 120 may be made of an alloy obtained by brazing oxygen-free copper (OFC) and high-atomic number metals such as tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo). there is.

Meanwhile, the anode electrode 120 may be formed as a rotating electrode. Specifically, the anode electrode 120 may be composed of a target 125 provided on a rotating electrode, a rotor (not shown) supporting the target, and a rotation shaft (not shown). Accordingly, as the target 125 rotates when X-rays are generated, the electron beam collision area is formed into a circular track, thereby generating high output X-rays.

Additionally, a target 125 may be formed at the electron beam impact area of the anode electrode 120 to be bonded to the anode electrode 120.

Here, the target 125 is a material made of an element with a high melting point and high atomic number, and can generate X-rays with high efficiency when an electron beam collides with it. The target 125 may be formed of a material such as tungsten. For example, the target 125 may be formed as a transmissive or reflective type.

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 electrode 120 may include a flange 121 bent around the outer surface of the tube body 10. Such a 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.

Therefore, when the tube body 110 and the anode electrode 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.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cathode electrode shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base portion shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view and side cross-sectional view of the clamp shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 3. This is a perspective view of the electrode terminal.

The cathode electrode 130 is disposed at the other end of the tube body 110 to face the anode electrode 120, is coupled with a chip carrier 131 on which an emitter chip is coupled or embedded, and is connected to the base portion 132 and a plurality of Includes clamp 133.

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 chip carrier 131 is provided in the shape of a plate-shaped rectangular parallelepiped, and an emitter chip is coupled to the upper surface. Additionally, the chip carrier 131 includes a plurality of electrode terminals on its upper surface.

The base portion 132 is made of an insulator, an electrode terminal 140 is connected to the bottom, and a chip carrier 131 is fixed to the top.

The base unit 132 has a seating groove 132a formed on the upper surface into which the chip carrier 131 and a plurality of clamps 133 are seated, and a plurality of first through holes 132b through which the electrode terminal 140 passes. is formed

The clamp 133 is coupled to the electrode terminal 140 and fixes the chip carrier 131 to the base portion 132.

The clamp 133 has a C-shaped side cross-section and includes an upper terminal 133a, a lower terminal 133b, and a central axis 133c.

The upper terminal 133a presses the electrode formed on the upper surface of the chip carrier 131, one side of the lower terminal 133b is in close contact with the side of the chip carrier 131, and the central axis 133c is connected to the upper terminal 133a. ) and the lower terminal (133b).

Here, the upper terminal 133a is formed to be longer than the lower terminal 133b by a predetermined length from the central axis 133c. Therefore, it can be stably and closely adhered to the upper surface of the chip carrier 131.

And, a second through hole 133d through which the electrode terminal 140 penetrates is formed in the upper terminal 133a and the lower terminal 133b.

The electrode terminal 140 is electrically coupled to the cathode electrode 130 and includes a support portion 141, a coupling portion 142, and a fastening means 143.

The support portion 141 supports the base portion 132 at the lower portion of the base portion 132, and the coupling portion 142 has a thread 142a formed at a predetermined length on one side of the support portion 141.

Then, the coupling portion 142 passes through the first through hole 132a and the second through hole 133d and protrudes toward the upper side of the clamp 133.

Here, the cross-sectional size of the support portion 141 is larger than the size of the first through-hole 132a, and the cross-sectional size of the coupling portion 142 is smaller than the size of the second through-hole 133d.

Accordingly, when the coupling portion 142 passes through the first through hole 132a and the second through hole 133d, the support portion 141 can support the base portion 132 from the lower side of the base portion 132. .

The fastening means 143 is coupled to the thread 142a of the coupling portion 142 while the coupling portion 142 passes through the first through hole 132a and the second through hole 133d.

When the fastening means 143 is coupled to the coupling portion 142, the fastening means 143 presses the clamp 133, and the support portion 141 supports the base portion 132 below the base portion 132. The chip carrier 131 may be fixed to the substrate 132.

Here, the degree of pressurization of the clamp 133 can be adjusted by adjusting the coupling position of the fastening means 143, and thus the degree to which the chip carrier 131 is fixed to the base portion 132 can be adjusted.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of clamps 133 are divided into first to fourth clamps 133-1, 133-2, 133-3, and 133-4 and are disposed on the side of the chip carrier 131. .

A first clamp 133-1 and a second clamp 133-2 are disposed on the first side of the chip carrier 131, and a third clamp 133-3 and a fourth clamp 133-2 are disposed on the second side. 4) is placed.

In addition, a gate voltage (40V or less) is applied to the first clamp 133-1 and the fourth clamp 133-4, which face each other diagonally, through the electrode terminal 140, and the second clamp 133-2 And the cathode voltage (GND) is applied to the third clamp 133-3 through the electrode terminal 140. A gate voltage is applied to the gate of the emitter chip, causing electron emission from the emitter.

Here, the arrangement structure of the first to fourth clamps 133-1, 133-2, 133-3, and 133-4 and the structure to which the voltage is applied are not limited to this.

Additionally, the cathode electrode 130 may further include a focusing lens 134 that focuses the electron beam emitted from the emitter chip to the anode electrode 120.

The focusing lens 134 is generally manufactured using a hole shape, or can be manufactured by transferring one or several layers of graphene onto the lens. Two or more focusing lenses 134 may be used.

The sealing portion 150 seals the lower portion of the tube body 110, is made of an insulating material, and has one or more electrode terminals 140 passing through it. Here, the upper surface of the sealing portion 150 is formed by lamination of a metal layer with a predetermined thickness.

Additionally, 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.

Additionally, if one of the electrode terminals 140 is replaced with an exhaust pipe terminal for vacuum exhaust, the number of electrode terminals 140 can be reduced by one.

In addition, the number of holes formed in the sealing portion 150 for insertion of the electrode terminal 140 can be reduced, thereby lowering the production cost of the X-ray tube 100 and improving production yield.

Those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention based on the above description. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the patent claims described below, 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 invention.

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 electrode
125: Target
130: cathode electrode
131: Chip carrier
132: Ministry of Strategy and Finance
132a: Seating groove
132b: first through hole
133: clamp
133a: upper terminal
133b: lower terminal
133c: central axis
133d: second through hole
140: Electrode terminal
141: support part
142: coupling part
143: fastening means
150: sealing part

Claims (10)

In the x-ray tube,
A tube body made of an insulating material and having a predetermined space therein;
an anode electrode disposed on one end of the tube body and coupled with a target;
A cathode electrode disposed at the other end of the tube body to face the anode electrode and coupled with a chip carrier containing an emitter chip, and
It is made of an insulating material, and includes a sealing portion that seals the tube body and through which one or more electrode terminals penetrate.
The cathode electrode is,
a base portion made of an insulating material, to which the electrode terminal is connected, and on which the chip carrier is fixed;
An X-ray tube that is coupled to the electrode terminal and includes a plurality of clamps that secure the chip carrier to the base unit. According to paragraph 1,
The clamp is,
The side cross section is provided in a U shape,
an upper terminal that presses an electrode formed on the upper surface of the chip carrier;
a lower terminal with one side in close contact with the side of the chip carrier; and
A central axis connecting the upper terminal and the lower terminal
Containing an x-ray tube. According to paragraph 2,
The upper terminal is,
An X-ray tube that is longer than the lower terminal by a predetermined length from the central axis. According to paragraph 2,
In the Ministry of Strategy and Finance,
A plurality of first through holes through which the electrode terminal passes are formed,
In the clamp,
An X-ray tube in which a second through hole through which the electrode terminal passes is formed in the upper terminal and the lower terminal. According to paragraph 4,
The electrode terminal is,
a support portion supporting the cathode electrode; and
A coupling part in which a thread is formed for a predetermined length on one side of the support part.
Including,
The coupling portion passes through the first through hole and the second through hole and protrudes upward from the clamp,
An X-ray tube further comprising a fastening means fastened to the coupling portion to press the clamp. According to clause 5,
The size of the cross section of the support portion is larger than the size of the first through hole,
The size of the cross section of the coupling portion is smaller than the size of the second through hole. According to clause 5,
An X-ray tube that adjusts the degree of pressurization of the clamp by adjusting the position of the fastening means coupled to the coupling portion. According to paragraph 1,
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance,
An X-ray tube having a seating groove formed on the upper surface into which the chip carrier and the plurality of clamps are seated. According to paragraph 1,
The chip carrier is,
It has a plate-shaped rectangular parallelepiped shape,
A first clamp and a second clamp are disposed on the first side of the chip carrier,
An X-ray tube, wherein a third clamp and a fourth clamp are disposed on the second side of the chip carrier. According to clause 9,
A gate voltage is applied to the first clamp and the fourth clamp facing diagonally, and a cathode voltage is applied to the second clamp and the third clamp.

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