X-ray Production

Chapter 7

I. Electron Target Interactions

 Purpose of X-ray Tube Components
o Accelerate electrons from cathode → anode.
o Produce characteristic and bremsstrahlung x-rays.
 Kinetic Energy (KE) Concept
o Definition: Energy of motion.
o Formula:

 In X-ray Imaging
o Electrons are the “projectiles” with same mass.
o kVp ↑ → electron velocity ↑ → KE ↑ → x-ray intensity & quality ↑

 Distance traveled from cathode to anode: ~1 cm.

 Electrons transfer kinetic energy to the target atoms upon impact.
 Interactions occur within a shallow depth; electrons slow down, stop, and return via
circuitry.
 Two main results:
1. Heat (thermal energy)
2. X-rays (electromagnetic energy)

A. Anode Heat

 ~99% of kinetic energy → heat.

 Caused by interactions with outer-shell electrons (excitation, not ionization).
 Outer-shell electrons return to normal energy state, releasing infrared radiation.
 Only ~1% of energy → x-ray production.

Heat Production Factors

 ↑ kVp → ↑ heat production.

 ↑ Tube current (mA) → ↑ heat, but efficiency remains constant.
 X-ray production efficiency:
o At 60 kVp → 0.5% converted to x-rays.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
o At 100 kVp → ~1% converted.
o At 20 MV → 70% converted.

B. Characteristic Radiation
 Definition:
Produced when a projectile electron ejects an inner-shell electron (usually K-shell) from
a target atom.
 Process:
1. Inner-shell electron removed → vacancy created.
2. Outer-shell electron fills vacancy.
3. X-ray photon emitted = difference in binding energies of the shells.
 Example (Tungsten):
o K-shell binding energy = 69 keV
o L-shell binding energy = 12 keV
o Kα x-ray energy = 69 – 12 = 57 keV
 Types:
o K x-rays → result from electrons filling K-shell vacancies.
o L x-rays, M x-rays → lower energy, limited diagnostic use.
 Energy & Usefulness:
o Only K-characteristic x-rays of tungsten are useful for diagnostic imaging.
o L-characteristic (~12 keV) and lower have low penetration → not useful.
o Energy of characteristic x-rays ↑ with atomic number (Z) of target element.
 Key Point:
Called “characteristic” because the x-ray energy is unique to the element’s atomic
structure.

[Link] Radiation
(“Braking” or “slowed-down” radiation)

Definition:

 Produced when a projectile electron is slowed or deflected by the nuclear field of a

target atom.
 The loss of kinetic energy is emitted as x-ray photons.

Process:

1. Projectile electron passes near the positively charged nucleus.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
2. Strong electrostatic attraction slows/deflects the electron.
3. Lost kinetic energy is emitted as an x-ray photon.

Key Features:

 Energy of bremsstrahlung x-rays can range from near 0 to the maximum electron
energy (e.g., 70 keV if operating at 70 kVp).
 Photon energy depends on how close the electron comes to the nucleus:
o Close pass → large energy loss → high-energy photon.
o Distant pass → small energy loss → low-energy photon.
 Produces a continuous spectrum of x-ray energies.

Comparison with Characteristic X-rays:

 Characteristic: Specific photon energies based on electron shell binding energies.

 Bremsstrahlung: Variable photon energies up to the maximum kVp.

Clinical Note:

 In the diagnostic range (<65 kVp) → almost all x-rays are bremsstrahlung.
 At ≥65 kVp, both bremsstrahlung and useful characteristic x-rays are produced.

Example (70 kVp System):

 Electrons from the cathode can have energies anywhere from 0 to 70 keV.
 Each electron may produce photons of varying energy depending on how much KE it
loses in the interaction.

II. X-Ray Emission Spectrum

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT
 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
 Two Types of Spectra
o Continuous Spectrum → Produced by Bremsstrahlung radiation (wide range
of energies).
o Characteristic Spectrum → Produced by characteristic x-rays (discrete, fixed
energies).

Continuous Spectrum (Bremsstrahlung)

 Shows all possible x-ray energies up to the maximum kVp.
 Shape: Many low-energy x-rays, fewer high-energy x-rays.
 Maximum energy = equal to kVp.
 Example: 90 kVp → spectrum extends to 90 keV.

Characteristic X-Ray Spectrum

 Sharp peaks (discrete energies) at specific keV levels.
 Depend on the target material’s atomic number (Z).
 Example: Tungsten → K-shell characteristic peak at 69 keV.

Key Points to Remember

 Bremsstrahlung → Wide range, forms bulk of x-ray beam.
 Characteristic → Precise, adds spikes on spectrum.
 Spectrum influenced by:
o kVp (energy)
o mA (quantity)
o Target material

✅ Mnemonic:

 Bremsstrahlung → "Broad" spectrum

 Characteristic → "Certain" fixed spikes

X-Ray Emission Spectrum

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
 Total number of x-rays emitted = area under the curve (integration).
 Shape is constant, but its position on the energy axis can shift.
 Right shift = higher effective energy (quality).
 Larger area under curve = higher x-ray intensity (quantity).

Factors Affecting X-Ray Emission Spectrum

Key Influences

 Tube Current (mA / mAs):

o Changes amplitude (height) of spectrum.
o More current = more x-rays (↑ quantity).
 Tube Voltage (kVp):
o Changes amplitude & position.
o Higher kVp → shifts spectrum right (↑ quality/energy).
 Added Filtration:
o Reduces low-energy x-rays.
o Most effective at low energy → decreases amplitude.
 Target Material:
o Affects amplitude & position of line spectrum.
o Higher atomic number = ↑ efficiency & energy.
 Voltage Waveform:
o Influences amplitude.
o More effective at high energy.

👉 Summary Note:

 Amplitude = quantity of x-rays.

 Position shift (right/left) = quality (energy) of x-rays.

Effect of mA & mAs

 Increasing mA or mAs → more electrons flow from cathode to anode.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
 Results in more x-rays emitted (higher amplitude).
 Spectrum shape remains the same, only the height changes.
 Example: 200 mA → 400 mA → doubles x-ray quantity.

Key Point
 mA / mAs affect quantity, not quality.
 Spectrum is taller but not shifted.

Four Principal Factors Shaping Spectrum

1. Projectile electron energy varies – not all reach max energy.
2. Target interactions: multiple bremsstrahlung & characteristic emissions.
3. Low-energy x-rays absorbed more in target.
4. Added filtration removes low-energy x-rays → increases beam quality.

Effect of kVp on X-Ray Emission Spectrum

 Increase in kVp → increases the area under the curve (x-ray quantity) ≈ square of the
kVp factor.
 Spectrum shifts to the right → higher average and maximum x-ray energy (higher
quality).
 More x-rays at all energies, especially at high energies.
 Rule of Thumb:
o A 15% increase in kVp ≈ doubling the mAs (intensity).
o Useful for maintaining image optical density (OD) / signal.
 Clinical Note:
o Higher kVp → greater penetrability, less radiation absorbed by the patient.
o Important for reducing patient dose while maintaining image quality.

Effect of Added Filtration

 Filtration reduces x-ray beam intensity but increases average energy.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
 Low-energy x-rays are absorbed more than high-energy ones → curve reduced more on
the left side of spectrum.
 This process is called beam hardening (shifts spectrum to higher effective energy).
 Result:
o ↓ X-ray quantity (intensity)
o ↑ X-ray quality (average energy)
 Characteristic spectrum unchanged, only bremsstrahlung spectrum affected.

Effect of Target Material

 Atomic number (Z) of target material affects both:
o Quantity (number of x-rays produced)
o Quality (effective energy of x-rays)
 Higher Z = more efficient x-ray production
o Produces more bremsstrahlung radiation
o Increases number of high-energy x-rays
 Characteristic spectrum shifts to the right
o Higher energy characteristic radiation (due to higher electron binding energy)
 Examples of targets:
o Tungsten (Z=74) → most common x-ray target
o Gold (Z=79) → used in some specialty x-ray tubes
o Molybdenum (Z=42) & Rhodium (Z=45) → used in mammography (produce
lower-energy characteristic x-rays suitable for breast tissue imaging)

Effect of Voltage Waveform

 Types of Waveforms:
o Half-wave rectified
o Full-wave rectified
o Three-phase (6-pulse & 12-pulse)
o High-frequency
 Half-wave vs. Full-wave:
o Full-wave has twice as many x-ray pulses per cycle.
o Produces higher output compared to half-wave.
 Three-phase & High-frequency:
o Reduced voltage ripple → more constant high voltage.
o Produces greater x-ray quantity & quality.
o Equivalent to about 12% increase in kVp or doubling mAs compared to single-
phase.
 Waveform Shape Effect:
o Single-phase → large fluctuations, less efficient.
o Three-phase & high-frequency → smoother, more intense x-ray beam.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT

 X-ray Production
Chapter 7
o Spectrum shifts slightly to the right (higher energy).
 Rule of Thumb:
o Radiographic technique on single-phase (e.g., 72 kVp) ≈ 64 kVp on three-phase
equipment.
o High-frequency generators give efficiency similar to +16% kVp increase.

Prepared BY: Prof. Angelo B. Ramos, RRT