Patent Application
20120257723
This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0032191, filed on Apr. 7, 2011, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field
Provided are embodiments of electron beam generators and X-ray generators including the same, and more particularly, embodiments of electron beam generators that include an assembly in which components of the electron beam generators may be readily assembled and disassembled, and X-ray generators including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electron beam generators are used in various fields. For example, an electron beam generator is used as an electron supply apparatus in an X-ray generator. The X-ray generator may have a configuration including an anode electrode and an electron beam generator.
Electron beam generators include cold cathode electron beam generators and hot cathode electron beam generators, and are used in many fields. Many studies have been conducted to commercialize cold cathode electron beam generators that use field emission.
Provided are electron beam generators that include an assembly in which components of the electron beam generators may be readily assembled with and disassembled from each other, and X-ray generators including the same.
Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.
Provided is an electron beam generator including, a cathode electrode, and a first insulating layer, a gate, a second insulating layer and a focusing gate sequentially on the cathode electrode in the stated order. The cathode electrode, the first insulating layer, the gate, the second insulating layer and the focusing gate are individually separable from each other and combinable with each other.
The electron beam generator may further include an assembling unit which aligns and fixes the cathode electrode, the first insulating layer, the gate, the second insulating layer and the focusing gate with respect to each other.
The assembling unit may include lateral supporting units on the cathode electrode, and an upper supporting unit on the focusing gate. The upper supporting unit is in separable connection with the lateral supporting units.
The electron beam generator may further include an alignment unit which aligns the cathode electrode, the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer and the focusing gate with respect to each other.
The alignment unit may be on at least one of the cathode electrode, the first insulating layer, the gate, the second insulating layer and the focusing gate.
The alignment unit may include alignment marks. The alignment marks of the alignment unit may include a groove.
The alignment unit may include a plurality of alignment marks on the cathode electrode, and through holes in the first insulating layer, the gate, the second insulating layer and the focusing gate respectively aligned with the alignment marks on the cathode electrode.
Provided is an X-ray generator including a container unit including a window on a side of the container unit; an electron beam generation unit in the container unit; and an anode which generates X-rays due to the electron beam generated from the electron beam generation unit. The X-rays are emitted to an outside of the container unit through the window, and the electron beam generation unit includes the electron beam generator described above.
These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the description.
It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on” or “connected to” another element or layer, the element or layer can be directly on or connected to another element or layer or intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the invention.
Spatially relative terms, such as “lower,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “lower” relative to other elements or features would then be oriented “upper” relative to the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “lower” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
All methods described herein can be performed in a suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”), is intended merely to better illustrate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention as used herein.
Hereinafter, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Generally, an electron beam generator is operated in a vacuum state. A gate electrode and a focusing electrode of a conventional field emission electron beam generator device are formed by using thin film or thick film deposition technology. As such, component elements of the electron beam generator may not be separable from each other. For example, an electron beam generator may be contaminated by a gas during operation, and as a result, an arcing phenomenon may be caused in a specific region, or an electron beam generation unit, an insulating layer or an electrode may be damaged, thereby reducing the operation performance of the electron beam generator. However, since component elements of the electron beam generator may not be separable from each other, it is difficult to repair or replace the contaminated or damaged component element.
Referring to
All of the cathode electrode 10, the first insulating layer 12, the gate 13, the second insulating layer 14 and the focusing gate 15 included in the electron beam generator are able to be assembled with and disassembled from each other. Thus, the embodiment of the electron beam generator according to the present invention may further include an assembling unit for use in assembling constituent elements and/or an alignment unit for use in aligning the constituent elements of the electron beam generator with respect to each other.
The cathode electrode 10, the gate 13, and the focusing gate 15 may include a material such as a metal or a conductive metal oxide that is used to form conventional electronic devices. In one or more embodiments, for example, the metal may be Ti, Pt, Ru, Au, Ag, Mo, Al, W, Cu, or a conductive metal oxide, or a combination thereof. The electron generation unit 11 is a material layer that generates electrons by a power applied from the cathode electrode 10. In one or more embodiments, for example, the electron generation unit 11 may be a region including carbon nanotubes (“CNTs”). The first insulating layer 12 and the second insulating layer 14 may include an insulating material used to form conventional semiconductor devices. More specifically, the first insulating layer 12 and the second insulating layer 14 may each independently include SiO2, HfO2, Al2O3, or Si3N4 as a material with a high dielectric constant (otherwise referred to as a high-K material). The material of the first insulating layer 12 and the second insulating layer 14, e.g., HfO2, Al2O3, or Si3N4, may have a dielectric constant which is greater than that of SiO2. Also, a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing materials may be used.
In
Referring to
The upper supporting unit 26 includes fixing members 27 at an outer surface of the upper supporting unit 26. Each of the fixing members 27 includes protruded portions extended directly from the outer surface of the upper supporting unit 26 and a first opening in which a distal end of a lateral supporting unit 25 is inserted, as illustrated in
The first opening is accessible from an outside of the fixing member 27 by a second opening which is continuous from the first opening to the outside of the fixing member 27. One of the protruded portions is deformable away from the outer surface of the upper supporting unit 26, such that the second opening is widened and the first opening accommodates dimensions of the lateral supporting unit 25 therein. When the deformed protruded portion returns to its original state, the lateral supporting unit 25 is effectively surrounded by the fixing members 27 and held in the first opening, such that the constituent elements the cathode 20, the first insulating layer 21, the gate 22, the second insulating layer 23 and the focusing gate 24 are in alignment with each other. A fixing member may secure the fixing member 27 proximate to the second opening, to the remainder of the upper supporting unit 26. The respective holes 28c, 28b, 28a and 28 in the centers the constituent elements may also be aligned when the lateral supporting unit 25 is in the fixing member 27.
The lateral supporting unit 25 and the upper supporting unit 26 are removably and detachably disposed with each other, such that individual constituent components of the electron beam generator may be assembled with and disassembled from each other. In the case that separate and individual constituent elements of an electron beam generator form an assembly so that the separate and individual constituent elements are readily separable from and attachable to each other, when a specific element malfunctions due to, for example, contamination, only the corresponding element may be readily removed and replaced.
When the embodiment of the electron beam generator is formed by assembling constituent elements, the degree of focusing and a final beam of an electron beam may vary according to the alignment of the electron generation unit 29 and the focusing gate 24. Therefore, the alignment of the constituent elements is important. In order to readily align the constituent elements, the constituent elements may include structures having various shapes of alignment units when the constituent elements are formed. In one or more embodiments, for example, an alignment mark may be on each of the constituent elements to use when the constituent elements are assembled into the electron beam generator. The alignment mark may be a groove to use when upper and lower layers are assembled. At least two alignment marks may be on each of the constituent elements, and the type of the alignment mark is not limited. Also, the alignment mark may be a hole to insert additional pins not only for the purpose of aligning.
Referring to
Referring to
Also, referring to
In the case that separate and individual constituent elements of an electron beam generator that is used for an X-ray generator are fixed together to form an assembly so that the separate and individual constituent elements are readily separable from and attachable to each other, when a specific element malfunctions due to, for example, contamination, only the corresponding element may be readily removed and replaced.
Also, when an operation condition of the electron beam generator needs to be changed, simply controlling a voltage of the focusing gate 34 may be difficult to effect a change in the operation condition, and thus, thicknesses of insulating layers and electrodes may also need to be changed. In this case, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an element that needs to be changed may be simply removed from the assembly and another element having different dimensions may be readily replaced.
Referring to
The container unit 40 may have any shape as long as the container unit 40 may maintain the inner space thereof in a vacuum state. The container unit 40 may further include a venting unit (not shown) connected to an external vacuum pump to vent an inner gas to the outside out of the container unit 40. The container unit 40 may include a material that may shield X-rays, for example, stainless steel (“SUS”) or glass. When the container unit 40 includes glass, the container unit 40 may further include an X-ray shielding material, for example, lead (Pb) or a heavy metal, to additionally shield X-ray. The window 40a may include an X-ray transmitting material, for example, pyrex glass or aluminum (Al) that maintains the inner space of the container unit 40 in a vacuum state and may emit X-rays to the outside of the container 40.
The electron beam generator 41 may include characteristics of one or more embodiments of an electron beam generator according to the present invention. The X-ray generator and/or the electron beam generator 41 may include a fixing unit 41a on which the electron beam generator 41 is mounted. The fixing unit 41a may be assembled and disassembled to and from the container unit 40. Thus, when a specific element of the electron beam generator 41 is contaminated or malfunctioned, only the corresponding element of the electron beam generator 41 may be readily removed and replaced.
The anode 43 generates X-rays due to an electron beam generated from the electron beam generator 41 and may include a target 42 formed of a metal, wherein the metal may be Mo, Ag, W, Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, or a metal alloy, or a combination thereof. The electron beam generator 41 and the anode 43 may be respectively connected to external power supply units.
According to one or more embodiments of present invention, there are provided an electron beam generator in which, if a specific constituent element malfunctions due to contamination, only the corresponding constituent element may be readily removed and replaced, and an X-ray generator that includes the electron beam generator.
While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it should not be construed as being limited to such embodiments. Those who are skilled in this art, for example, acknowledge electron beam generators that include various types of aligning shapes and X-ray generators according to the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is not defined by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2011-0032191 | Apr 2011 | KR | national |
