The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 17, 2014
Filed:
Jan. 06, 2012
Gil Travish, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Rodney Yoder, White Plains, NY (US);
James Rosenzweig, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Gil Travish, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Rodney Yoder, White Plains, NY (US);
James Rosenzweig, Los Angeles, CA (US);
The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for producing x-rays for use in imaging applications having a piezoelectric or pyroelectric crystal with an upper surface and a conducting film coating the upper surface. The crystal includes a plurality of field emitters formed as micrometer-scale exposed regions in the crystal having a one or more sharp peaks or ridges, or parallel trenches forming a wedge shaped emitter. The crystal is alternately heated and cooled over a period of time so that spontaneous charge polarization occurs in the crystal. The spontaneous charge polarization causes a perpendicular electric field to arise on the crystal's top and bottom faces, that is enhanced by the sharp peaks or ridges, thereby causing field emission of surface electrons from that location. X-rays are produced when the emitted electrons strike a target material located adjacent to the emitting face, and the X-rays may be filtered or collimated.