Fast and Stable Operation of Carbon Nanotube Field-Emission X-Ray Tubes Achieved Using an Advanced Active-Current Control

The advanced active-current control (ACC) with a push-up voltage source is proposed for the fast operation of carbon nanotube (CNT) field-emission x-ray tubes while preserving the advantages of improved stability and reliability. The push-up voltage source, composed of a voltage supply and a resistor, was found to reduce markedly the response time of CNT x-ray tubes down to several tens nanoseconds. The very fast operation of CNT x-ray tube with the advanced ACC could provide an improved x-ray imaging technology, including high-speed scanning and blur-less imaging.