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The XR-100T-CdTe, when used with the PX4, make a powerful tool for characterizing short and long term stability of X-ray tubes and controllers. The use of the EXVC Collimator placed in front of the XR-100T-CdTe reduces the X-ray flux and avoids detector saturation. The detector can now look directly at the x-ray tube and take energy spectra at regular intervals to monitor its performance. The Amptek ADMCA display and acquisition software incorporates a routine that automatically saves a complete spectrum at user defined intervals, and in addition produces a file consisting of the "total counts" in each spectrum. This "total counts" file can then be plotted in a spreadsheet program.
Click here to download the ADMCA software.
For short term stability investigations, Figure A shows the setup of the ADMCA software. It is set up for a routine of 100 repeated spectra of 60 seconds each. The plot of the output X-rays (total counts file), as seen in Figure B, shows that the X-ray tube and controller take about 12 minutes to warm-up before they stabilize.
Figure A.
Figure B.
For long term stability investigations, Figure C shows the plot of the output X-rays (total counts file) over 6 hours. The inset in the plot is a graph of one of the spectra saved. Between the total counts file and the full spectrum at each point, a total analysis can be made of the x-ray tube stability and integrity. The plot also shows the Average, Predicted Standard Deviation, Calculated Standard Deviation, and Current Stability. The total counts file enables these four calculations to be made easily in any spreadsheet program.
Figure C.
A different way to measure stability of the X-ray flux of the tube is to set up the XR-100T-CdTe to detect the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) produced from a stationary target. A typical angle of "tube-target-detector" is about 45 degrees. In this configuration the EXVC collimator kit might not be necessary.
Figure D. The complete X-Ray Tube Characterization System.
Revised May 31, 2007