Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009 807

X-rays Source Using Thermal Excitation of Pyroelectric Crystal for

Medical Application
S. Fukao
1
, Y. Nakanishi
1
, Y. Guan
1
, Y. Sato
1
, Y. Ito
2
, and S. Yoshikado
1
1
Department of Electronics, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
2
Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Abstract In order to develop miniaturized X-ray devices that provide localized X-ray irradia-
tion for medical applications, the dependences of the X-ray intensity on the ambient gas pressure
and the type of case material were investigated for LiNbO
3
single crystals polarized parallel to the
c-axis for N
2
gas pressures in the range of approximately 7 10
3
to 5 Pa. X-ray irradiation was
performed with no case and with cases constructed from oxygen-free copper, aluminum, nickel,
stainless steel, and polytetrauoroethylene. For cases of the same size, the pressure dependence of
the X-ray intensity was independent of the type of case material and it had a local maximum at a
pressure of approximately 4.2 Pa. In high vacuums, the X-ray intensity increased as the pressure
was reduced. Based on these results, stainless steel, which is chemically stable, nonmagnetic and
prevents X-ray leakage, is considered to be the most suitable material for constructing cases for
medical devices.
1. INTRODUCTION
A high intensity electric eld can be generated by varying the temperature of a polarized pyroelectric
single crystal, such as LiNbO
3
or LiTaO
3
, in low vacuums [17]. The gas molecules around the
crystal are ionized by this electric eld, producing electrons and positive ions. It has been reported
that both white X-rays (i.e., continuous spectrum X-rays) and characteristic X-rays specic to the
elements of the crystal or target metal for X-ray radiation are radiated by bremsstrahlung generated
by the electrons colliding with a target. Electrons are accelerated by the electric eld generated
by the electric dipole moments in the crystal and the surface charges on the crystal [112]. Such
devices can be miniaturized because they do not require an electron gun (which is an electron
source) or an external high voltage source. For example, it will be possible to develop a berscope
that uses a compact X-ray radiation source. Such a berscope produces soft X-rays, which interact
strongly with biological tissue, so that it can be used to treat skin cancer and cancers of internal
organs such as the stomach and the large intestine by directly destroying cancer cells. It can also
destroy cavity-causing bacteria.
The X-ray radiation mechanism can be explained as follows. An eective surface charge is
generated by intrinsic polarization on the intrinsic surface of a pyroelectric crystal due to poling.
However, this eective surface charge is electrically neutralized by the adsorption of ions from the
ambient gas, which is in equilibrium with the crystal surface. Hence, the net surface charge becomes
zero and no electric eld is formed. If the crystal temperature is altered, the intrinsic polarization
changes due to a small displacement of the ions in the crystal. However, the adsorption and
desorption times of the ions are much longer than the time for the intrinsic polarization to change
so that the crystal surface acquires a net charge. For example, when a negatively charged surface
(z-surface) of the crystal is placed opposite a target and its temperature is increased, the z-
surface acquires a net positive charge. This is because the negative electric charge of the z-surface
decreases, causing positive ions to be desorbed, which delays the temperature change on the z-
surface of the crystal. On the other hand, the z-surface acquires a net negative charge when the
temperature is reduced. An electric eld is generated by the net surface charge on the z-surface
of the crystal. The gas molecules are ionized by this electric eld, producing electrons and positive
ions. Electrons are then accelerated by the electric eld towards the target and the case, and X-rays
are generated when the electrons collide with them. When the z-surface of the crystal is placed
opposite a target, X-rays are radiated from the z-surface when the temperature is increased and
they are radiated from the target and the case when the temperature is reduced.
In order for such an X-ray source that uses a pyroelectric crystal to be downsized so that it
can be used in medical devices that provide local irradiation of X-rays, the distance between the
crystal and the case needs to be reduced. In addition, the case material must prevent leakage of
X-rays so that it is harmless to humans. Thus, it is necessary to consider the case material and the
target separately. The electric eld distribution generated by the crystal is thought to vary with the
808 PIERS Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009
distance between the case and crystal. When the target and the case are constructed from dierent
materials, characteristic X-rays of both materials may be generated by bremsstrahlung produced
by electrons colliding with the target and the case. Thus, in this study, to clarify the contribution
of the case to the emitted X-rays, the X-ray intensities were measured without a case and with
cases constructed from dierent materials, including both metals and insulator. Aluminum (Al) is
a suitable target for producing soft X-rays. However, oxygen-free copper (Cu) was selected as the
target in this study, because silicon (Si) semiconductor detectors have low detection sensitivities to
the characteristic X-rays of aluminum.
2. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
A z-cut single crystal of LiNbO
3
(Yamaju Ceramics, 10 10 mm
2
area, 5 mm thick, nonstoichio-
metric composition) polarized along the c-axis (z-axis) was used. The positively charged surface
(+z-surface) of the crystal was pasted on a Peltier device with silver (Ag) paste through a 10-m-
thick Cu or platinum (Pt) foil. The crystal temperature was changed from 5 to 70

C by supplying
a triangular-wave bias voltage to the Peltier device. A vacuum chamber made of stainless steel
(SUS 304, hereafter SUS) with an inner diameter of 146 mm and an inner height of 164 mm was
used. A Cu foil with a thickness of 10 m and a diameter of 37 mm was used as the target. The
crystal with a Peltier device was placed at the center of a hollow cylindrical case with an inner
diameter of 26 mm and a height of 21 mm (see Fig. 1). The case materials used were Cu, Al,
nickel (Ni), SUS with various work functions and chemical properties and polytetrauoroethylene
(PTFE) (which is chemically inert, has a low permittivity and is an electrical insulator) The z-
surface of the crystal was set parallel to the target at a distance of 27 mm. The ambient gas used
was nitrogen (N
2
) and the pressure P in the vacuum chamber was set in the range 7 10
3
to
5 Pa. The gas pressure was measured using an absolute pressure gauge (MKS Baratron 127), which
functions independently of the ambient gas species at low vacuums, or a hot-cathode ionization
gauge (ULVAC, GI-TL3) for high vacuums. When the hotcathode ionization gauge was used, a
constant pressure was maintained prior to measuring the X-ray intensity, and the gauge was turned
o during measurements to eliminate the eect of thermal electrons. The target, cylinder, and the
Cu or Pt foil under the +z-surface of the crystal were all electrically grounded. The spectrum of the
X-rays that penetrated the Cu target was measured using a Si semiconductor detector (Amptek,
XR-100CR, detector dimensions: area of 7 mm
2
, 300 m thick) and a multichannel analyzer (Lab-
oratory Equipment Corporation, 2100 C/MCA). An iron radioisotope (
55
Fe) was used to calibrate
the X-ray energy. When the number of photons incident on the detector exceeds approximately 10
4
counts per second (cps), the input-output characteristics become nonlinear. Thus, a 0.5-mm-thick
lead (Pb) plate with an approximately 0.3 mm diameter hole in the center was inserted between
the beryllium (Be) window of the detector and the target. The X-ray intensity corresponding to
a detection area of 7 mm
2
was then obtained by multiplying the measured intensity by a factor of
approximately 100. Furthermore, at low and high energies, where the detection sensitivity was low,
the X-ray intensity was calibrated using an energy calibration curve. The temperature of the lower
part of the crystal was measured using a thermosensitive register sensor (10 k at 20

C) attached to
(a) (b)
Figure 1: Schematic drawing of experimental apparatus.
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009 809
the Cu or Pt foil. The crystal temperature was increased to 70

C at a rate of 0.13

C/s and reduced

to 5

C at a rate of 0.13

C/s. This temperature cycle was repeated, with the duration of each cycle
being 1000 s (the heating and cooling processes were both approximately 500 s in duration).
3. ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH GENERATED BY THE CRYSTAL
Both electric eld intensity and electron density are considered necessary for generating X-rays. In
this section, the maximum electric eld produced by changing the crystal temperature is estimated.
The electric dipoles inside a uniaxially polarized pyroelectric crystal are all aligned in one direction.
Consequently, the strength of the electric eld formed outside the crystal can be calculated by
summing the electric eld strengths generated by each electric dipole. As shown in Fig. 2, the
electric eld generated by the pyroelectric crystal at an arbitrary point A (x, y, z) outside the
crystal is considered. The area of the electric surface is a b, the thickness of the crystal (the
center of which is at O) is d and the top surface is the z-surface. The center point of each electric
dipole inside the crystal is dened as B (x

, y

, z

). The strength vector of the electric eld

E(A)
at A (x, y, z) is given by

E (A) =
1
4
0
_ a
2
x

=
a
2
_ b
2
y

=
b
2
_ d
2
z

=
d
2
3
_
r

P
_
r +r
2

P
r
5
dx

dy

dz

, (1)
where
0
is the permittivity in a vacuum, r is the position vector of A relative to B, r is the distance
between A and B and

P is the polarization vector inside the crystal. When the crystal is polarized
along the z-axis,

P is given by

P = (0, 0, P). (2)

For a LiNbO
3
single crystal, the pyroelectric coecient P is 7.6 nC/cm
2
/K [6].
The maximum strength of the electric eld formed by changing the crystal temperature can be
estimated using Equations (1) and (2). The surface charge of the crystal is electrically neutralized
at the rst state in the low vacuum range. The rate of change of the maximum strength of the
electric eld generated by changing the temperature can be calculated using Equations (1) and (2).
The rates of change of the maximum strength of electric eld at the center of the z-surface, at
the inner wall of the case (which is the same height as the z-surface) and the center of the target
are approximately 28 kV/cm/K, 1.8 kV/cm/K and 0.25 kV/cm/K, respectively. For example, the
maximum electric eld generated at the center of the z-surface is approximately 1 MV/cm if the
temperature is changed by 70 K. However, the actual electric eld generated by the crystal is lower
than the maximum value calculated above because positive ions are adsorbed on the z-surface of
the crystal due to ionization of the ambient gas that occurs when the temperature is changed. On
the other hand, the number of electrons adsorbed on the z-surface in a high vacuum decreases
with decreasing pressure. It is estimated that a high-intensity electric eld will be generated in a
high vacuum because the number of positive ions adsorbed on the z-surface due to the intrinsic
polarization change caused by the change in the temperature is much fewer in a high vacuum
than in a low vacuum. For a LiNbO
3
single crystal, the intrinsic polarization P is approximately
75 C/cm
2
at 20

C [6]. When the intrinsic surface charge is not electrically neutralized by positive
ions adsorbed on the crystal surface, the maximum strengths of the electric eld generated by the
Figure 2: Diagram for calculating the electric eld strength generated by a uniaxially polarized LiNbO
3
single crystal.
810 PIERS Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009
crystal at the center of the z-surface, at the inner wall of the case (which is the same height as
the z-surface) and at the center of the target are calculated using Equations (1) and (2) to be
approximately 280 MV/cm, 17 MV/cm and 2.5 MV/cm, respectively.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figures 3(a) and (b) show the energy characteristics of the X-ray intensity (i.e., the X-ray spectra)
per cycle and the time dependences of the integrated X-ray intensity in the energy range 1 to
20 keV for a SUS case in N
2
gas at pressures of approximately 4.2 and 7 10
3
Pa, respectively.
The energies of the X-ray emission lines for each material are given in Table 1 [13]. The X-ray
spectra for a pressure of 7 10
3
Pa shows the same tendencies as those for a pressure of 4.2 Pa,
although the integrated X-ray intensity for a pressure of 7 10
3
Pa is approximately one order
of magnitude smaller than that for a pressure of 4.2 Pa. The characteristic X-rays of K

and K

for the Cu target were detected at 8.041 keV and 8.905 keV respectively, and characteristic X-ray
of K

for Fe in the SUS case was detected at 6.399 keV for both pressures.
Table 1: Energies (in keV) of X-ray emission lines for principal K- and L-shell emission lines.
Element K

H 0.054
C 0.109
O 0.525
F 0.677
Al 1.487 1.557
Cr 5.412 5.947 0.573 0.583
Mn 5.895 6.490 0.637 0.649
Fe 6.399 7.058 0.705 0.719
Co 6.925 7.649 0.776 0.791
Ni 7.472 8.265 0.852 0.869
Cu 8.041 8.905 0.930 0.950
Pt 66.201 75.748 9.434 11.117
2
3
4
5
I
n
t
e
n
s
i
t
y

[
c
o
u
n
t
s
]
20 15 10 5 0
Energy [keV]
7 10
-3
Pa
4.2 Pa
Cu K

Cu K
Fe K

C
o
u
n
t
i
n
g

r
a
t
e

[
c
p
s
]
1000 800 600 400 200 0
Time [sec]
80
60
40
20
0
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[


C
]
4.2 Pa
Temperature
10
10
10
10
X
2
3
4
10
10
10
7 10
-3
Pa X
o
(a) (b)
Figure 3: (a) Spectra of X-rays per cycle and (b) time dependences of the integrated X-ray intensity in the
energy range 1 to 20 keV and the crystal temperature using a SUS case in N
2
gas at pressures of approximately
4.2 and 7 10
3
Pa.
4.1. X-rays Radiation for a Low Vacuum
Figures 4(a) and (b) show the pressure dependences of the integrated X-ray intensity in the energy
range 1 to 20 keV for each case material in N
2
gas for low vacuums (between 1 and 5 Pa) when the
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009 811
temperature was increased and during one temperature cycle, respectively. As shown in Fig. 4(a),
when the case material is a metal, the logarithm of the integrated X-ray intensity when the tem-
perature was increased was proportional to the pressure. The logarithm of the integrated X-ray
intensity with no case was also proportional to the pressure, but the pressure dependence curve
was shifted to a lower pressure. When the case material was PTFE, X-rays were not detected when
the temperature was increased. As shown in Fig. 4(b), the integrated X-ray intensity during one
temperature cycle showed a local maximum at a pressure (P
max
) of approximately 4.2 Pa and this
pressure was independent of the case material. The integrated intensity of the characteristic X-ray
for the case material was proportional to the pressure for pressures P > P
max
, but not for pressures
P < P
max
. Although P
max
for the PTFE case, which is an insulator and has a low permittivity,
was the same as that for the metal cases, the integrated X-ray intensity I
max
at a pressure of P
max
for the PTFE case was approximately 1.5 times higher than that for the metal cases. P
max
when
no case was used was half that for the PTFE case, and I
max
with no case was 1.5 times higher than
that with the PTFE case.
Both electric eld intensity and electron density are considered to be necessary for generating
X-rays. Therefore, the integrated X-ray intensity I is assumed to be proportional to the product
of the electric eld intensity and the number of electrons in the space between the crystal and
target. If the contribution of multiple electrons emitted from the pyroelectric crystal is not taken
into account [10], I is given by [7]
I = C
1
_
P
1
2C
2
N
S
_
2
+
1
4
C
1
C
2
2
N
2
S
, (3)
where C
1
is a proportionality constant and N
S
is the number of surface charges on the z-surface
without adsorption ions. C
2
= N
+
/PN
+
is the number of positive ions adsorbed on the z-surface
and it is given by
N
+
= C
3
P exp(E
i
) , (4)
where C
3
is a proportionality constant, is a constant and E
i
is the rst ionization energy of
the ambient gas molecules. N
+
is proportional to the pressure. The electric eld generated by
the crystal was formed over the entire volume enclosed by the target and the case. However, the
mean free path of an electron lies between 6.4 and 1.3 mm for pressures between 1 and 5 Pa in low
vacuums [14]. This result indicates that the mean free path of an electron is much shorter than
the distance between the target and the crystal (see Fig. 1(b)). Therefore, it is speculated that
the electrons that contribute to the X-ray radiation are near the target or the case. Similarly, the
positive ions adsorbed on the z-surface are near the crystal. From Equation (1), I is found to
have a maximum value at P
max
.
2
3
4
5
6
I
n
t
e
n
s
i
t
y

[
c
o
u
n
t
s
]
6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Pressure [Pa]
Cu
Al
Ni
SUS
No case
1.4x10
6
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
I
n
t
e
n
s
i
t
y

[
c
o
u
n
t
s
]
8 6 4 2 0
Pressure [Pa]
Cu Al
Ni SUS
PTFE
No case
Calculated line
10
10
10
10
10
(a) (b)
Figure 4: Pressure dependence of the integrated X-ray intensity with Cu, Al, Ni, SUS and PTFE cases and
without a case in N
2
gas at low pressures. (a) For increasing temperature, (b) for one temperature cycle.
P
max
=
N
S
2C
2
. (5)
P
max
is independent of the area of the z-surface of the crystal, S, because both N
S
and C
2
are
proportional to S. As discussed later, the reason for the shift in P
max
to a low pressure when
812 PIERS Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009
the case is removed is speculated to be (based on Equation (5)) that the number of positive ions
adsorbed on the z-surface increases.
Equation (3) indicates that the integrated X-ray intensity I is a quadratic function of P, which
is upwardly convex. Thus, the integrated X-ray intensity is predicted to have a local maximum
at P
max
and become zero at 2P
max
[7]. The solid line shown in Fig. 4(b) represents the values
calculated from Equation (3), and the measured values are almost equal to the calculated lines for
low pressures. However, the measured values were larger than the calculated values at pressures
near P
max
. I was tted by a Gaussian function given by Equation (6) at pressures near P
max
.
I = C
4
+C
5
exp
_

(P C
6
)
2
C
2
7
_
, (6)
where C
4
, C
5
, C
6
and C
7
are constants. When C
5
is exp(C
8
) and C
4
is assumed to be C
4

exp[(P C
6
)
2
/C
2
7
+C
8
], Equation (6) can be written as
log
e
I =
(P C
6
)
2
C
2
7
+C
8
. (7)
Equation (7) indicates that the logarithm of the integrated X-ray intensity I is a quadratic function
of P, which is upwardly convex. The reason why I is described by Equation (7) can be explained
as follows. An X-ray that irradiates the target and inner wall of the case undergoes multiple
reections and causes an Auger electron to be emitted from the target or the inner wall of the
case. This electron is accelerated by the high electric eld and collides with the target and the
case. Consequently, an X-ray is generated by this Auger electron and undergoes multiple reections.
The amount of uorescent X-ray radiation depends on the atomic weights of the target and the case
materials, whereas the amount of Auger electrons produced is independent of them. Therefore, it is
speculated that the number of Auger electrons increases markedly as the integrated X-ray intensity
increases and that the X-ray intensity increases markedly as the pressure approaches P
max
. At
pressures P > P
max
, the X-ray intensity decreases because the number of positive ions increases,
the positive ion are rapidly adsorbed on the crystal, and the electric eld generated by the crystal
becomes weaker [7].
Figure 5 shows the direction of the electric eld vector generated by the pyroelectric crystal
with no case or target when the temperature is reduced; it is calculated using Equation (1) for low
vacuums. Fig. 5 also shows the positions of the positive ions and electrons generated by ionization
of gas molecules caused by the electric eld produced by the crystal. Fig. 6 shows the distribution
of the maximum electric eld strength on the upper surface (z-surface) of the crystal along the
x-axis. The electric eld outside the case was zero for a conductive case material that was grounded.
This is because the electric eld is shielded by the case. On the other hand, when the case material
is PTFE, which is an insulator and has a low permittivity, the electric eld outside the case was

Figure 5: The electric eld generated by a pyroelec-
tric crystal without a case and a target. : positive
ion, : electron.
-1
0
1
2
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c

f
i
e
l
d

[
k
V
/
c
m
/
K
]
20 15 10 5 0
Distance (x) [mm]
inside of
crystal
outside of crystal
case
position
10
10
10
10
10
Figure 6: Dependence of the electric eld strength
on the distance from the crystal center when no case
is used.
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009 813
non-zero. However, the number of positive ions and electrons for the PTFE case is speculated to
be the same as that for a conductive case material. This is because the positive ions and electrons,
which are generated by ionization of gas molecules outside the PTFE case, do not move inside the
PTFE case. When the case is removed, the positive ions are adsorbed on the z-surface of the
crystal due to the electric eld when the temperature is increased. These results suggest that C
2
in
Equation (5) increases because C
2
is proportional to N
+
. Consequently, it is speculated that P
max
decreases. It is also speculated that the X-ray intensity increases when there is no case because
the number of electrons that collide with the crystal and the target increases. These results are
veried from Fig. 4(b).
4.2. X-ray Radiation for Pressures between Medium and High Vacuums
As shown in Fig. 3(a), the characteristic X-rays of K

and K

for the Cu target and those of

K

for Fe in the SUS case were detected at pressures below 1 Pa, which is intermediate between
a medium vacuum and a high vacuum. Fig. 7 shows the pressure dependence of the integrated
X-ray intensity up to high pressures. For pressures of less than 1 Pa (i.e., intermediate between
medium and high vacuums), X-rays were not detected with a case when the temperature was
increased, although X-rays were detected when the temperature was reduced. The integrated X-
ray intensity was a minimum in the pressure range between 7 10
3
and 1 Pa. The integrated
X-ray intensity is almost independent of the type of metal case at a pressure of 7 10
3
Pa.
The integrated characteristic X-ray intensity of Fe, which is an element in SUS, showed the same
pressure dependence as the integrated X-ray intensity in the energy range 1 to 20 keV. As shown
in Fig. 3(b), when the pressure was 4.2 Pa, the time at which X-rays began to be radiated became
earlier, and the maximum integrated X-ray intensity over 1 s was larger than that at a pressure of
7 10
3
Pa. The integrated characteristic X-ray intensity for K

of Fe was approximately 2% of
that for K

and K

of Cu at a pressure of 4.2 Pa. The sample stage was surrounded by an alumina

plate and a Pt foil, the work functions of which are large; these were used to ground the +z-surface.
However, the X-ray intensities were the same.
In a high vacuum, it has been reported that the X-ray intensity increases when thermal electrons
were supplied from outside [11, 12]. The integrated X-ray intensity increased by a factor of approxi-
mately 100 when the hotcathode ionization gauge was moved to at approximately 250 mm from the
crystal so that thermal electrons were emitted. Thus, X-ray radiation emission in high vacuums is
the rate-determining process for electron supply (electron density). It was also conrmed that the
crystal generates an electric eld in a high vacuum. Based on the above results, the mechanism
of X-ray generation in a high vacuum is discussed as follows. The z-surface does not have a net
charge because positive ions are adsorbed on the z-surface under the initial equilibrium condition
at a constant temperature. However, if the crystal temperature is increased, the negative charge on
the z-surface decreases and fewer intrinsic surface negative charges than positive ions. Thus, the
z-surface acquires a net positive charge and an electric eld is generated. The number Z of gas
molecules with thermal motion that collide with a target of unit area per second is given by [14]
Z =
1
4
nv =
1
4

P
k
B
T

_
8k
B
T
m
=

P
2
2k
B
Tm
, (8)
where n is the density of gas molecules, v is the average molecular speed, k
B
is the Boltzmann
constant, T is the gas temperature and m is the mass of a gas molecule. From Equation (8), the
number of collisions Z at pressures of 7 10
2
Pa and 4.2 Pa are calculated to be approximately
2.0 10
20
and 1.2 10
23
, respectively. Because the diameter of a N
2
molecule is approximately
0.38 nm, the number of layers at pressures of 7 10
2
Pa and 4.2 Pa that the gas molecules collide
with per second are 23 and 1.4 10
4
, respectively. The negative charge of the crystal can be
neutralized by collisions of positive ions with 0.5 layer, because the charge density of the z-
surface without positive ions absorbed on it is 75 C/cm
2
. Therefore, the high vacuum used in
this study makes it possible to completely neutralize the negative charge of the crystal due to the
ionization of the gas molecules that collide with the crystal. The electrons and positive ions are
generated by ionization of gas molecules adsorbed on the crystal surface due to the high electric
eld generated by the crystal and they are accelerated by the electric eld. Consequently, electrons
collide with the z-surface and positive ions collide with the target or the case. Because a positive
ion has a greater mass and size than an electron, the energy of a positive ion is lost in almost
instantaneously when it collides with the target, so that the positive ion does not penetrate inside
814 PIERS Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009
the target. Thus, the characteristic X-rays of Cu and high intensity X-rays are generated have a
pulse-like temporal prole. However, the reason why these pulsed X-rays were not detected in this
experiment is conjectured to be because the Si detector used in this study can only detect X-rays
with energies up to 20 keV and it has a poor temporal resolution. On the other hand, the mean free
paths of an electron at pressures of 0.2 Pa and 7 10
3
Pa are approximately 32 mm and 910 mm,
respectively [14]; these paths are longer than the distance between the crystal and the target.
Balancing of the charges does not occur even if the crystal temperature is a maximum. This
is because there are more positive ions than negative charges on the crystal surface. Therefore,
balancing of the charge occurs when the temperature is reduced. After balancing of the charges,
the number of negative charges on the crystal surface exceeds the number of positive ions adsorbed
on the crystal, so that the crystal surface acquires a net negative charge and the electric eld is
formed in the opposite direction that generated when the temperature is increased. This electric
eld ionizes some of the gas molecules, which collide with the crystal and are adsorbed on the
crystal surface. The generated positive ions are accumulated on the z-surface. Meanwhile, the
generated electrons are accelerated toward the target and the case they collide with them generating
continuous X-rays and the characteristic X-rays of the elements in the target and the case. At low
pressures, the number of collisions of electrons with residual gas molecules decreases and the number
of electrons that collide with the target increases. For this reason, the X-ray intensity is speculated
to increase with a reduction in the pressure. If the pressure is further reduced, the number of gas
molecules that collide with the z-surface of the crystal decreases. Thus, the X-ray intensity is
considered to decrease due to a reduction in the number of gas molecules ionized by the electric
eld generated by the crystal. Fig. 7 shows that the integrated X-ray intensity increases when the
PTFE case or no case is used. This result is conjectured to be due to the contribution of electrons
emitted from the inner wall of the chamber by eld emission. Fig. 8 shows the integrated X-ray
intensity measured over 50 temperature cycles for Cu case in N
2
gas at pressures of approximately
4.0 and 7 10
3
Pa The integrated X-ray intensity was almost stable. The same stability was
obtained for the dierent pressures. When the X-ray was radiated over 50 temperature cycles, the
pressure dependence of the integrated X-ray intensity was almost the same as obtained in Fig. 7.
For a miniaturized X-ray radiation source to be used in a medical device, it must emit soft X-
rays. Thus, Al is suitable a material for both the target and the case. However, if the case material
is Al, white X-rays with a high energies will pass through the case and leak outside. PTFE also
has a risk of X-ray leakage for the same reason as Al. Moreover, Ni and Cu are unsuitable, because
Ni is a magnetic material and Cu is a readily oxidizable metal. For the above reasons, the SUS is
considered to be the most suitable case material, since it is chemically inert, nonmagnetic and will
not leak X-rays.
3
4
5
6
I
n
t
e
n
s
i
t
y

[
c
o
u
n
t
s
]
6 8
-2
2 4 6 8
-1
2 4 6 8
0
2 4 6
Pressure [Pa]
Cu Al Ni
SUS PTFE
No case
10
10
10
10
10 10 10
Figure 7: Pressure dependences of the integrated
X-ray intensity per cycle in the energy range 1 to
20 keV for Cu, Al, Ni, SUS and PTFE cylindrical
cases and with no case in N
2
gas.
700x10
3
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
I
n
t
e
n
s
i
t
y

[
c
o
u
n
t
s
]
50 40 30 20 10 0
Repeat cycles
7 10
-3
Pa
4.0 Pa
x
Figure 8: Integrated intensities of X-rays over 50
temperature cycles for Cu case in N
2
gas at pressures
of approximately 4.0 and 7 10
3
Pa.
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Moscow, Russia, August 1821, 2009 815
5. CONCLUSION
In a low vacuum, a high-intensity electric eld is generated by changing the crystal temperature
and the surrounding gas molecules are ionized by this eld. Consequently, electrons and positive
ions are generated. However, only the gas molecules near the target and the case were found to
contribute to X-ray emission, because the mean free path of an electron is shorter than the distance
between the crystal and the target. The X-ray intensity was found to be independent of the type of
case material. The strength of the electric eld was conrmed to decrease with increasing pressure
since positive ions generated by the ionization of gas molecules are adsorbed on the z-surface.
In a high vacuum, the X-ray intensity was found to be independent of the work function of
the case material because the X-ray intensity is the rate-determining factor for the number of
electrons accumulated on the z-surface. The X-ray intensity was found to increase with decreasing
temperature because the mean free path of an electron becomes increases and the number of
electrons that collide with the target increases. However, the X-ray intensity is estimated to decrease
below a certain pressure because the number of gas molecules adsorbed on the z-surface of the
crystal decrease.
For applications of miniaturized X-ray radiation sources for medical applications, it was found
that the optimum pressure for X-ray emission is in the low vacuum region and it is found by
adjusting the pressure so that the X-ray intensity is maximized. The optimum case material is
stainless steel, since it is chemically stable, nonmagnetic and prevents X-ray leakage.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
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