Notebook 11

X-Ray Tube
The production of x-rays is only possible under certain conditions:
A source of electrons
An appropriate target material
A high voltage
A vacuum
The x-ray tube is the device that permits these conditions to exist, and photons come to existence within
this x-ray tube.
The x-ray tube consists of a cathode (the negative side) and an anode (the positive side). These are
enclosed within an envelope and then encased in a protective housing.
Cathode
The cathode, the negative side, has a function to produce a thermionic cloud, to produce potential
difference between the cathode and anode, and to focus the electron stream as it heads for the anode.
The cathode assembly consists of the filament(s), focusing cup, and associated wiring.
Anode
The anode is the positive side and has three functions:
It serves as a target surface for the high-voltage electrons from the filament, becoming the
source of the x-ray photons
Conducts the high voltage from the cathode back into the x-ray generator circuitry
It serves as the primary thermal conductor
The anode assembly consists of the anode, stator, and rotor.
There are two types of anodes:
Stationary
Rotating
Stationary - These are more common in low power functions, such as dental offices, where less heat will
build up. The use of these have become very limited.
Rotating - The anode turns during the exposure, which presents a much larger target area. The faster the
anode spins, the better the heat dissipation is.

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Rotating anode x-ray tube

The flow of electrons come from the circuit into the filaments in the filament cup located in the
cathode. Electrons build up around the small filament or the large filament, depending on what
the technologist chose on the control console, and pile up creating the space charge effect and
thermionic emission.
Once the exposure button has been pressed, the electrons go in a beam towards the anode. The
reason they go in a beam is because the focusing cup is negatively charged, so the electrons
naturally repel it.
Once the electrons hit the anode, they are turned into photons.
The photons go to our point of interest and create our x-ray
The rotating anode x-ray tube is made up of several parts:
1. First you have your filaments. These are small coils of thin thoriated tungsten wire. The wire is
about 0.1 - 0.2mm thick and 1-2mm wide and 7-15mm long. These are located in the cathode,
specifically in the focusing cup. Filaments are made out of tungsten because it has a high
melting point of 3,370C. Rhenium (melting point of 3,170C) and Molybdenum (melting point of
2,620C) are also favorable material for filaments.
2. The focusing cup is a depression in the cathode that is designed to house the filaments. It is
made of nickel and has a negative charge, so electrons naturally repel it and go in a straight
beam towards the anode. The focusing cups purpose is to is to narrow the thermionic cloud as it
is driven towards the anode.
3. Next you have your Electron beam, this is simply the flow of electrons that go from the cathode
to the anode target.
4. Then you have your Tungsten anode. It is made of Tungsten, because like I previously stated, it
has a very high melting point. So it is able to handle an abundance of heat for a longer period of
time. Giving the equipment a longer life span.
5. Photons are now created once the electron beam hits the anode, and this is how our x-rays are
created.
6. You have your molybdenum neck and base
7. The anode is supported on vacuum bearings and are rotated by electromagnetic induction from
a series of stator windings that are located outside the x-ray tube and the glass envelope.
8. The is a coil of wire that interacts with the stator to create motion.
9. The rotating portion of the anode is what turns during exposure
10. The glass envelope encases all of these parts to keep them safe and in place. It is made out of
heat-resistant Pyrex glass. The envelope is about 10 inches long, 6 inches in diameter at the
center, and 2 inches in diameter at the end. The glass is joined to the metal of the cathode
assembly at one end and the anode assembly at the other end.
11. Filament circuit where the electrons flow to get to the filaments in the focusing cup located in
the anode

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