Stability and debris in high-brightness liquid-metal-jet-anode microfocus x-ray sources

Abstract

We investigate the x-ray spot stability and the debris emission in liquid-metal-jet anode electron-impact x-ray sources operating in the 10–100W microfocus regime. The x-ray spot size is 15–23μm in diameter and the electron-beam power density is up to ∼210kW∕mm2, an order of magnitude higher than for conventional microfocus sources. In the power range of the investigation the source is stable in terms of spot size and position. The debris emission rate increases exponentially with the applied electron-beam power but may be reduced by combining larger and faster target jets with smaller e-beam foci and by mitigation schemes. It is concluded that the investigated factors will not limit the performance and function of liquid-metal-jet-anode electron-impact microfocus sources when operating in this high-brightness regime.