Patent ID: 7660391
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: A61B,H01J

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for generating X-rays, comprising: a vacuum chamber forming an interior cavity that is maintained at a low pressure; a target having a surface exposed to the interior cavity of the vacuum chamber; an electron accelerator configured and arranged to generate an accelerated electron beam having an energy sufficient to generate X-rays capable of penetrating objects of interest for inspection purposes when the accelerated electron beam impinges upon the surface of the target; and a steering element having an electron beam origination point and an exit port, the steering element being configured and arranged to steer an accelerated electron beam through the interior cavity of the vacuum chamber and along at least a particular portion of a linear or curvilinear scan path on the surface of the target so as to cause X-rays capable of penetrating objects of interest for inspection purposes to emanate into an inspection region located outside the interior cavity of the vacuum chamber; and wherein the apparatus is configured and arranged so that each interception point on the particular portion of the scan path on the surface of the target along which the steering element steers the accelerated electron beam, an angle between a line corresponding to a direction in which the accelerated electron beam is traveling at the interception point and a line that is tangent to the scan path at such interception point is less than forty five degrees.