Miniature X-ray Tube Research Articles

An Intraoral Miniature X-ray Tube Based on Carbon Nanotubes for Dental Radiography

Abstract A miniature X-ray tube based on a carbon-nanotube electron emitter has been employed for the application to a dental radiography. The miniature X-ray tube has an outer diameter of 7 mm and a length of 47 mm. The miniature X-ray tube is operated in a negative high-voltage mode in which the X-ray target is electrically grounded. In addition, X-rays are generated only to the teeth directions using a collimator while X-rays generated to other directions are shielded. Hence, the X-ray tube can be safely inserted into a human mouth. Using the intra-oral X-ray tube, a dental radiography is demonstrated where the positions of an X-ray source and a sensor are reversed compared with a conventional dental radiography system. X-ray images of five neighboring teeth are obtained and, furthermore, both left and right molar images are achieved by a single X-ray shot of the miniature X-ray tube.

Experimental validation of L-shell x-ray fluorescence computed tomography imaging: phantom study.

Thanks to the current advances in nanoscience, molecular biochemistry, and x-ray detector technology, x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT) has been considered for molecular imaging of probes containing high atomic number elements, such as gold nanoparticles. The commonly used XFCT imaging performed with K-shell x rays appears to have insufficient imaging sensitivity to detect the low gold concentrations observed in small animal studies. Low energy fluorescence L-shell x rays have exhibited higher signal-to-background ratio and appeared as a promising XFCT mode with greatly enhanced sensitivity. The aim of this work was to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of L-shell XFCT imaging and to assess its achievable sensitivity. We built an experimental L-shell XFCT imaging system consisting of a miniature x-ray tube and two spectrometers, a silicon drift detector (SDD), and a CdTe detector placed at [Formula: see text] with respect to the excitation beam. We imaged a 28-mm-diameter water phantom with 4-mm-diameter Eppendorf tubes containing gold solutions with concentrations of 0.06 to 0.1% Au. While all Au vials were detectable in the SDD L-shell XFCT image, none of the vials were visible in the CdTe L-shell XFCT image. The detectability limit of the presented L-shell XFCT SDD imaging setup was 0.007% Au, a concentration observed in small animal studies.

TH-AB-204-09: High-Sensitivity L-Shell X-Ray Fluorescence CT Imaging of Gold

Purpose: To experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of L-shell x-ray fluorescence CT (XFCT) imaging of gold contrast. Methods: We have built an experimental L-shell XFCT imaging system consisting of two photon-counting detectors, a silicon drift detector (SDD) and a CdTe detector, a miniature x-ray tube, and a programmable translation/rotation stage. A 2.8-mm diameter water phantom containing 4-mm vials with gold solutions of 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% Au located at 4mm depth was constructed. The phantom was imaged with the L-shell XFCT system in 1st generation CT geometry with a 1-mm 50-kV x-ray beam. XFCT data was acquired with both detectors placed at ±120° with respect to the excitation beam at 30 translation and 36 rotation steps. L-shell XFCT images were reconstructed with maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization using gold Lα and Lβ fluorescence x-rays for both detectors. Results: SDD L- shell x-ray fluorescence (XRF) signal was approximately 13 times higher than CdTe XRF signal due to the higher measured SDD energy resolution of 220eV @ 14keV compared to the CdTe energy resolution of 660eV. While all 0.06–0.1% Au vials were detectable in the SDD L-shell XFCT image, none of the vials were visible in the CdTe L-shell XFCT image. The contrast-to-noise ratio of the 0.1% Au vial was 87.1 and 3.2 in the SDD and CdTe L-shell XFCT images, respectively. SDD L-shell XFCT signal was linear with Au concentration (R2>0.99). The detectability limits of the presented L-shell XFCT imaging setup were 0.007% and 0.126% Au for L-shell XFCT imaging performed with the SDD and CdTe detector, respectively. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of L- shell XFCT imaging of gold located at shallow depths inside a small animal sized phantom. The very high sensitivity of L-shell XFCT, permitting detection of Au concentrations as low as 0.06%, has not previously been achieved experimentally using conventional K-shell XFCT.

Analytical characterization of a new mobile X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction instrument combined with a pigment identification case study

A new, commercially available, mobile system combining X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence has been evaluated which enables both elemental analysis and phase identification simultaneously. The instrument makes use of a copper or molybdenum based miniature X-ray tube and a silicon-Pin diode energy-dispersive detector to count the photons originating from the samples. The X-ray tube and detector are both mounted on an X-ray diffraction protractor in a Bragg–Brentano θ:θ geometry. The mobile instrument is one of the lightest and most compact instruments of its kind (3.5kg) and it is thus very useful for in situ purposes such as the direct (non-destructive) analysis of cultural heritage objects which need to be analyzed on site without any displacement. The supplied software allows both the operation of the instrument for data collection and in-depth data analysis using the International Centre for Diffraction Data database.This paper focuses on the characterization of the instrument, combined with a case study on pigment identification and an illustrative example for the analysis of lead alloyed printing letters. The results show that this commercially available light-weight instrument is able to identify the main crystalline phases non-destructively, present in a variety of samples, with a high degree of flexibility regarding sample size and position.

PO-0999: Simulation of a miniature x-ray tube used with nanoparticles for improved tumor dose homogeneity and enhancement

PO-0999: Simulation of a miniature x-ray tube used with nanoparticles for improved tumor dose homogeneity and enhancement

A modified dose calculation formalism for electronic brachytherapy sources.

To propose a modification of the current dose calculation formalism introduced in the Task Group No. 43 Report (TG-43) to accommodate an air-kerma rate standard for electronic brachytherapy sources as an alternative to an air-kerma strength standard. Electronic brachytherapy sources are miniature x-ray tubes emitting low energies with high-dose-rates. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has introduced a new primary air-kerma rate standard for one of these sources, in contrast to air-kerma strength. A modification of the TG-43 protocol for calculation of dose-rate distributions around electronic brachytherapy sources including sources in an applicator is presented. It cannot be assumed that the perturbations from sources in an applicator are negligible, and thus, the applicator is incorporated in the formalism. The modified protocol mimics the fundamental methodology of the original TG-43 formalism, but now incorporates the new NIST-traceable source strength metric of air-kerma rate at 50cm and introduces a new subscript, i, to denote the presence of an applicator used in treatment delivery. Applications of electronic brachytherapy sources for surface brachytherapy are not addressed in this Technical Note since they are well documented in other publications. A modification of the AAPM TG-43 protocol has been developed to accommodate an air-kerma rate standard for electronic brachytherapy sources as an alternative to an air-kerma strength standard. The modified TG-43 formalism allows dose calculations to be performed using a new NIST-traceable source strength metric and introduces the concept of applicator-specific formalism parameters denoted with subscript, i.

New National Air-Kerma Standard for Low-Energy Electronic Brachytherapy Sources.

The new primary standard for low-energy electronic brachytherapy sources for the United States is described. These miniature x-ray tubes are inserted in catheters for interstitial radiation therapy and operate at tube potentials of up to about 50 kV. The standard is based on the realization of the air kerma produced by the x-ray beam at a reference distance in air of 50 cm.

Sci-Fri PM: Topics - 01: A monte carlo model of a miniature low-energy x-ray tube using EGSnrc

The INTRABEAM system (Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany) is a miniature x-ray generator for use in intraoperative radiotherapy and brachytherapy. The device accelerates electrons to up to 50 keV, which are then steered down an evacuated needle probe to strike a thin gold target. For accurate dosimetry of the INTRABEAM system, it is important that the photon spectrum be well understood. Measurements based on air-kerma are heavily impacted by photon spectra, particularly for low photon energies due to the large photoelectric contribution in air mass energy absorption coefficient. While low energy photons have little clinical significance at treatment depths, they may have a large effect on air-kerma measurements. In this work, we have developed an EGSnrc-based monte carlo (MC) model of the Zeiss INTRABEAM system to study the source photon spectra and half-value layers (HVLs) of the bare probe and with various spherical applicators. HVLs were calculated using the analytical attenuation of air-kerma spectra. The calculated bare probe spectrum was compared with simulated and measured results taken from literature. Differences in the L-line energies of gold were found between the spectra predicted by EGSnrc and Geant4. This is due to M and N shell averaging during atomic transitions in EGSnrc. The calculated HVLs of the bare probe and spherical applicators are consistent with literature reported measured values.

First TDCR measurements at low energies using a miniature x-ray tube

Developed for radionuclide standardization using liquid scintillation, the Triple to Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR) method is applied using coincidence counting obtained with a specific three-photomultiplier system. For activity determination, a statistical model of light emission is classically used to establish a relation between the detection efficiency and the experimental TDCR value. At LNE-LNHB, a stochastic approach of the TDCR modeling was developed using the Monte Carlo code Geant4. The interest of this TDCR-Geant4 model is the possibility to simulate the propagation of optical photons from their creation in the scintillation vial to the production of photoelectrons in photomultipliers.As an alternative to the use of radionuclide sources, first TDCR measurements are presented using a miniature x-ray tube closely coupled to the scintillation vial. The objective of this new set-up was to enable low-energy depositions (lower than 20keV) in liquid scintillator in order to study the influence of both time and geometrical dependence between PMTs already observed with radioactive sources. As for the statistical TDCR model, the non-linearity of light emission is implemented in the TDCR-Geant4 model using the Birks formula which depends on the kB factor and the scintillation yield. Measurements performed with the x-ray tube are extended to the assessment of these parameters and they are tested afterwards in the TDCR-Geant4 model for activity measurements of 3H.

강내형 X선 튜브 온도 및 선량 분포 특성

A new concept of periapical radiography, intra oral x-ray tube and detector system is introduced. It is new system that a miniature x-ray tube is inserted into mouse and it acquired digital image using external detector. In this study, we have investigated temperature and dose distribution of insertional x-ray tube for periapical radiography. To analyze temperature characteristic of x-ray tube, we attached the thermocouple to surface of x-ray tube and we measured the temperature according to distance. Also, we measured the dose distribution of a miniature x-ray tube according to distance. As a result, temperature was constant to over 2mm without cooling system, dose distribution of x-ray tube was 3.14 and 1.84mGy in 3 and 5cm, respectively. Therefore, the proposed x-ray system works in lower dose than conventional dental x-ray system. Thus, it is considered that new concept of system will have a significant effect on medical imaging technology.

Miniature x-ray tubes: current state and future prospects

Over the last decade, field emission miniature x-ray tubes emerged as cutting-edge applications of nanotechnology, possessing massive potential for use in various important fields, including that of precision medical therapy. The article essentially presents a review of such new devices reported in the literature. Additional discussions on the necessity of stabilizing the electron beam that generates x-rays are also included, and a simple technique for minimizing the current fluctuations is described. It is also pointed out that further miniaturization of field emission x-ray sources may need new concepts in designing the tube in shapes acting as ``self focusing'' structures for the electron beams.

OC-0484: High count rate spectrometry for the characterization of miniature x-ray tubes

OC-0484: High count rate spectrometry for the characterization of miniature x-ray tubes

A digital miniature x-ray tube with a high-density triode carbon nanotube field emitter

We have fabricated a digital miniature x-ray tube (6 mm in diameter and 32 mm in length) with a high-density triode carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitter for special x-ray applications. The triode CNT emitter was densely formed within a diameter of below 4 mm with the focusing-functional gate. The brazing process enables us to obtain and maintain a desired vacuum level for the reliable electron emission from the CNT emitters after the vacuum packaging. The miniature x-ray tube exhibited a stable and reliable operation over 250 h in a pulse mode at an anode voltage of above 25 kV.

A vacuum-sealed miniature X-ray tube based on carbon nanotube field emitters

A vacuum-sealed miniature X-ray tube based on a carbon nanotube field-emission electron source has been demonstrated. The diameter of the X-ray tube is 10 mm; the total length of the tube is 50 mm, and no external vacuum pump is required for the operation. The maximum tube voltage reaches up to 70 kV, and the X-ray tube generates intense X-rays with the air kerma strength of 108 Gy·cm2 min−1. In addition, X-rays produced from the miniature X-ray tube have a comparatively uniform spatial dose distribution.

치과 영상용 삽입형 초소형 X선 튜브의 가능성 연구

Conventional periphery radiography system has a various problem such as patient dose and the pain of X-ray examination. In this paper, to solve these problems, we suggested insertional miniature x-ray system and we verified the feasibility of this system. First, we performed the Geant4 x-ray simulation to design x-ray collimator and filter to use miniature x-ray tube and we decided optimized thickness of filter and collimator. Also, we measured x-ray spectrum using CdTe detector and PX4 module to verify simulation results. Also, we acquired teeth image of fabricated phantom using conventional dental x-ray and prosed miniature x-ray system. As a results, our system has good image quality as compared to those of conventional systems. Our evaluation of the proposed system indicates that it can be potentially very useful for dental imaging.

A robust method for determining the absorbed dose to water in a phantom for low-energy photon radiation

The application of more and more low-energy photon radiation in brachytherapy—either in the form of low-dose-rate radioactive seeds such as Pd-103 or I-125 or in the form of miniature x-ray tubes—has induced greater interest in determining the absorbed dose to water in water in this energy range. As it seems to be hardly feasible to measure the absorbed dose with calorimetric methods in this low energy range, ionometric methods are the preferred choice. However, the determination of the absorbed dose to water in water by ionometric methods is difficult in this energy range. With decreasing energy, the relative uncertainty of the photon cross sections increases and as the mass energy transfer coefficients show a steep gradient, the spectra of the radiation field must be known precisely. In this work two ionometric methods to determine the absorbed dose to water are evaluated with respect to their sensitivity to the uncertainties of the spectra and of the atomic database. The first is the measurement of the air kerma free in air and the application of an MC-based conversion factor to the absorbed dose to water. The second is the determination of the absorbed dose to water by means of an extrapolation chamber as an integral part of a phantom. In the complementing MC-calculations, two assortments of spectra each of which is based on a separate unfolding procedure were used as well as two kinds of databases: the standard PEGS and the recently implemented NIST database of EGSnrc. Experimental results were obtained by using a parallel-plate graphite extrapolation chamber and a free-air chamber. In the case when the water kerma in a phantom is determined from the measurements of air kerma free in air, differences in the order of 10% were found, according to which the database or the kind of spectrum is used. In contrast to this, for the second method, the differences found were about 0.5%.

3D polymer gel dosimetry and Geant4 Monte Carlo characterization of novel needle based X-ray source

In the recent years, there have been a few attempts to develop a low energy x-ray radiation sources alternative to conventional radioisotopes used in brachytherapy. So far, all efforts have been centered around the intent to design an interstitial miniaturized x-ray tube. Though direct irradiation of tumors looks very promising, the known insertable miniature x-ray tubes have many limitations: (a) difficulties with focusing and steering the electron beam to the target; (b)necessity to cool the target to increase x-ray production efficiency; (c)impracticability to reduce the diameter of the miniaturized x-ray tube below 4mm (the requirement to decrease the diameter of the x-ray tube and the need to have a cooling system for the target have are mutually exclusive); (c) significant limitations in changing shape and energy of the emitted radiation. The specific aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of a new concept for an insertable low-energy needle x-ray device based on simulation with Geant4 Monte Carlo code and to measure the dose rate distribution for low energy (17.5 keV) x-ray radiation with the 3D polymer gel dosimetry.

The radiation dose from a proposed measurement of arsenic and selenium in human skin

Dose measurements following 10 min irradiations with a portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometer composed of a miniature x-ray tube and a silicon PiN diode detector were performed using thermoluminescent dosimeters consisting of LiF:Mg,Ti chips of 3 mm diameter and 0.4 mm thickness. The table-top setup of the spectrometer was used for all measurements. The setup included a stainless steel lid which served as a radiation shield. Two rectangular polyethylene skin/soft tissue phantoms with two cylindrical plaster of Paris bone phantoms were used to study the effect of x-ray beam attenuation and backscatter on the measured dose. Eight different irradiation experiments were performed. The average dose rate values measured with TLD chips within a 1 × 1 cm2 area were between 4.8 and 12.8 mGy min−1. The equivalent dose for a 1 × 1 cm2 skin area was estimated to be 13.2 mSv. The maximum measured dose rate values with a single TLD chip were between 7.5 and 25.1 mGy min−1. The effective dose corresponding to a proposed arsenic/selenium skin measurement was estimated to be 0.13 µSv for a 2 min irradiation.

Stable Field Emitters for a Miniature X-ray Tube Using Carbon Nanotube Drop Drying on a Flat Metal Tip.

Stable carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitters for a vacuum-sealed miniature X-ray tube have been fabricated. The field emitters with a uniform CNT coating are prepared by a simple drop drying of a CNT mixture solution that is composed of chemically modified multi-walled CNTs, silver nanoparticles, and isopropyl alcohol on flat tungsten tips. A highly thermal- and electrical-conductive silver layer strongly attaches CNTs to the tungsten tips. Consequently, the field emitters exhibit good electron emission stability: continuous electron emission of around 100 μA at 2.3 V/μm has stably lasted over 40 h even at non-high vacuum ambient (~10−3 Pa).

Real-time monitoring of arsenic filtration by granular ferric hydroxide

Contamination of drinking water by arsenic is a serious public health issue in many parts of the world. One recent approach to this problem has been to filter out arsenic by use of granular ferric hydroxide (GFH), an adsorbent developed specifically for the selective removal of arsenic from water. Previous studies have documented the efficiency and high treatment capacity of this approach. We present a novel X-ray fluorescence method to monitor the accumulation of arsenic within a specially designed GFH column, as both a function of time (or water volume) and location along the column. Using a miniature X-ray tube and silicon PiN diode detector, X-ray fluorescence is used to detect characteristic X-rays of arsenic excited from within the GFH. Trials were performed using a water flow rate of approximately 1.5 L per hour, with an added arsenic concentration of approximately 1000 microg per litre. In this paper, trial results are presented and potential applications described.