Abstract
A compact diode comprising a flat plate anode and a sharp-edged cathode (a piece of razor blade) energized by 0.5 μF capacitor charged to 30 kV is investigated for optimization of X-rays emission vis-a-vis separation between electrodes and width of the cathode, which is responsible for electron emission by impact of electric field. It is a high-inductance system, the parasitic inductance is found to be 353 ± 5 nH, and the recorded peak discharge current is just 35 ± 02 kA. The maximum X-ray emission is observed for a 2-mm-wide cathode with an interelectrode separation of 3 mm. The X-ray yield in 4π-geometry is found to be 34 ± 3 mJ with a wall-plug efficiency of 0.015 ± 0.001%. The X-ray emission occurs about 200 ns after the application of high voltage, synchronized with the dip in current wave form. The low efficiency of the system for X-ray generation is attributed to high parasitic inductance.
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