A carbon nanotube field emission multipixel x-ray array source for microradiotherapy application

The authors report a carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission multipixel x-ray array source for microradiotherapy for cancer research. The developed multipixel x-ray array source has 50 individually controllable pixels and it has several distinct advantages over other irradiation source including high-temporal resolution (millisecond level), the ability to electronically shape the form, and intensity distribution of the radiation fields. The x-ray array was generated by a CNT cathode array (5 x 10) chip with electron field emission. A dose rate on the order of >1.2 Gy/min per x-ray pixel beam is achieved at the center of the irradiated volume. The measured dose rate is in good agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation result. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3595268]