X-ray Irradiation Apparatus, Including a Spectrally Shaping X-Ray Optic and a Spectral Filter Aperture Device, for X-Ray Imaging

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The invention describes a compact X-ray irradiation apparatus that can generate highly focused, narrow-bandwidth X-ray beams using conventional X-ray tubes combined with a polycrystalline reflector and a specially designed spectral filter aperture. By precisely shaping and filtering the X-ray beam, the system produces pencil-like beams with an energy spectrum similar to those from large, expensive synchrotron sources, but in a much smaller and cost-effective device. This makes high-sensitivity and high-resolution X-ray fluorescence imaging and other advanced X-ray imaging techniques practicable in clinical and laboratory settings, without requiring large-scale synchrotron facilities.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• High-sensitivity X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging for clinical diagnostics, such as tumor or metastasis detection.
• Preclinical imaging, including tracking labeled cells or molecules for pharmaceutical research and drug development.
• Material analysis and testing, including identifying elements or impurities within samples via XRF.
• Phase contrast X-ray imaging for biomedical research or industrial inspection.
• X-ray scattering experiments for physics and materials science research.
• Upgrading existing clinical X-ray tubes to enable advanced imaging modalities in hospitals and laboratories.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables synchrotron-quality X-ray beams (high flux, narrow bandwidth, small focus size) using conventional, compact, and inexpensive X-ray sources.
• Drastically reduces background noise and radiation exposure compared to traditional X-ray sources, increasing sensitivity and safety for patients or samples.
• Provides highly tunable and adjustable X-ray beam parameters (energy, bandwidth, focus) for tailored applications.
• Significantly lowers the barrier to advanced X-ray imaging—facilitates broad adoption in clinical, pharmaceutical, and research settings without the need for large synchrotron facilities.
• Improves spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, enabling detection of very small quantities of labeled atoms or fine structural details.
• Compact system design supports local and decentralized imaging, reducing the need for sample transport to specialized centers.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

An X-ray irradiation apparatus (100) comprises an X-ray source device (110) for creating X-rays (2) with a polychromatic spectrum and an X-ray optic device (120) with a beam axis (3) that is longitudinal, wherein the X-ray optic device (120) comprises a reflector device (121) that is polycrystalline having a reflector geometry, a reflector mosaicity and a reflector thickness and the reflector device (121) is arranged for receiving a portion of the X-rays (2) within an acceptance angle of the reflector device (121) and for creating an X-ray beam (4) by Bragg reflection, which is directed along the beam axis (3) towards a focal position thereof and has a spectral distribution determined by the polychromatic spectrum of the X-rays (2), the reflector geometry, the reflector mosaicity and the reflector thickness, and wherein the X-ray optic device (120) further comprises a spectral filter aperture device (122) that is arranged downstream from the reflector device (121) for creating a filter gap (123) transmitting a first spectral portion (4A) of the spectral distribution of the X-ray beam (4) and blocking a second spectral portion (4B) and a third spectral portion (4C) of this spectral distribution, wherein the first spectral portion (4A) has higher energies than the second spectral portion (4B) and lower energies than the third spectral portion (4C), wherein the reflector device (121) has an acceptance solid-angle of at least 100 micro-steradian, and wherein the reflector geometry, the reflector mosaicity, the reflector thickness and the acceptance angle of the reflector device (121) are selected such that simultaneously a radiation flux in the first spectral portion (4A) is at least 1% of an incoming flux of the same spectral portion of the X-rays (2) received by the reflector device (121) with a peak reflectivity of at least 1%, the first spectral portion (4A) has a spectral bandwidth of at most 15 %, the second and third spectral portions (4B, 4C) have a flux reduced by at least three orders of magnitude compared with the flux in the first spectral portion (4A), and the X-ray beam (4) has a focal spot size of less than 1.5 mm. Furthermore, an X-ray fluorescence imaging apparatus (200) and a method of using the X-ray irradiation apparatus (100) are described.