Patent ID: 9564283
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: G21K,H01J

Claim:
1. An electron irradiation system comprising: a first conductive element; a gas-tight housing comprising said first conductive element which is electrically connected to at least a portion of the housing, the housing enclosing a cathode region and an irradiation region communicating with the cathode region; a high-voltage cathode, which is arranged in the cathode region and operable to emit an electron beam; an irradiation site, which is arranged in the irradiation region; an aperture connecting the cathode region and the irradiation region and enclosing an electron trajectory from the cathode to the irradiation site, and a second conductive element and a voltage source for applying a nonzero bias voltage between the first and second conductive elements, for thereby generating an electric field (E) which prevents positively charged particles from entering the cathode region via the aperture.