Emission characteristics of pulse CNT cold cathode X-ray source combined with channel electron multiplier

Kai Miao; Yunpeng Liu; Sheng Lai; Junqiu Yin; Feixu Xiong; Xiaoyu Dong; Xiaobin Tang

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111243

Emission characteristics of pulse CNT cold cathode X-ray source combined with channel electron multiplier

Appl Radiat Isot. 2024 Apr:206:111243. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111243. Epub 2024 Feb 22.

Authors

Kai Miao¹, Yunpeng Liu², Sheng Lai³, Junqiu Yin³, Feixu Xiong³, Xiaoyu Dong¹, Xiaobin Tang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China; IRay Electric Vacuum Technology (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 210016, China.
² Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China; Key Laboratory of Nuclear Technology Application and Radiation Protection in Astronautics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing, 210016, China. Electronic address: liuyp@nuaa.edu.cn.
³ Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China.
⁴ Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China; Key Laboratory of Nuclear Technology Application and Radiation Protection in Astronautics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing, 210016, China. Electronic address: tangxiaobin@nuaa.edu.cn.

PMID: 38394811
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111243

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based field emission X-ray source with the advantage of fast start-up response offers the chance to achieve high-frequency X-ray emission. In this study, a high-frequency random pulse X-ray source of CNT cold cathode combined with a channel electron multiplier (CEM) was built, and its direct current (DC) and pulse emission characteristics were tested. The DC measurement results were used for parameter selection for performing pulse experiments. During the DC test, with the conditions of 2.2 kV CEM bias voltage and 25 kV anode voltage, the anode currents are 141, 250, and 300 μA at grid voltages of 290, 387.6, and 432.2 V, respectively; the corresponding grid field values are 1.45, 1.94, and 2.16 V/μm. During the pulse test, the amplitude-frequency response of the X-ray source reaches 3.58 MHz at 3 dB. The developed pulse X-ray source was introduced into the X-ray communication (XCOM), and the experimental communication rate reached 6 Mbps with the bit-error-rate of 1.1 × 10^-3. The developed high-frequency pulse CNT-CEM X-ray source has potential applications in XCOM, high-speed X-ray imaging, and other fields.

Keywords: CNT field emission; Channel electron multiplier; DC characteristics; High-frequency pulse X-ray source; Pulse characteristics.