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4. X-ray sources and generators
4.1 X-ray source operation
The X-rays used in medical imaging are produced in Coolidge tubes (named after their inventor in 1913, a researcher at GENERAL ELECTRIC's Schenectady laboratory) powered by a high-voltage generator, usually remote. They provide the braking radiation (bremsstrahlung) for a beam of high-energy electrons, which strike a metal target in a vacuum envelope. This target is tilted by an angle α of between 7 and 15°, so that most of the X-ray photons created radiate towards the tube window, and the target is properly cooled: the greater the tilt, the greater the area of impact of the electrons on the target (figure
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X-ray sources and generators
Conclusion
Bibliography
Websites
National Institute of Standards and Technology – XCOM Photons Cross Sections Database http://www.nist.govhttp://www.nist.gov/pml/data/xcom/index.cfm
Xcom database http://www.nist.gov
...Directory
Manufacturers of X-ray sources and generators (non-exhaustive list)
Sources: VARIAN (US), TOSHIBA (J.), IAE (I.) PHILIPS, GE, SIEMENS, CARESTREAM (among others) manufacture sources for their own needs.
Generators: CPI (US), SEDECAL (E.), IMD (I.) Many OEMs design and build their own generators.
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