Carbon nano, cold cathode X-ray tube

In recent years, as the demand for nondestructive inspection has increased, there is a need for a small, lightweight, portable X-ray inspection system that allows for easier inspection. For example, many infrastructure facilities built during the period of high economic growth are aging, and efforts are being made to introduce non-destructive inspection systems to identify dangerous parts and prioritize maintenance items. In addition, as the importance of foreign substance inspection for foods, drugs, and other products is increasing from a quality control perspective, there is a need in parallel to save space on inspection lines. Furthermore, in a rapidly aging society, portable X-ray machines that can be used for on-site diagnosis are also desired due to the need for home medical care. The mainstream of conventional X-ray tubes is a hot cathode X-ray tube whose electron source is thermoelectrons generated by heating a filament. This method has the problem that the heater for heating the filament is heavy and lacking in portability. On the other hand, cold cathode X-ray tubes use electrons generated by field electron emission as their electron source, so they do not require a heater and can be lightweight and compact, making them ideal for portable X-ray inspection systems. This paper introduces the features, product specifications, and imaging examples of this cold cathode X-ray tube. (A.O.)