PRIORITY STATEMENT

The present application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to European patent application number EP 19179314.0 filed Jun. 11, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to an x-ray tube, an x-ray device and a mammography device.

BACKGROUND

An x-ray tube is usually used for an imaging examination with x-ray radiation. An x-ray device typically has the x-ray tube and an x-ray detector for carrying out the imaging examination. The imaging examination can be in particular an imaging mammography examination, in particular a mammography screening. Ideally the x-ray tube enables the imaging examination with a high image quality and equally with as low an x-ray radiation dose as possible, preferably by adapting an emission spectrum of the x-ray radiation. The x-ray radiation or the emission spectrum, in particular the energy distribution thereof, is preferably matched with respect to a maximum image contrast. In this regard it is known that the x-ray radiation dose is so much lower, the more monochromatic the x-ray radiation or the emission spectrum.

For instance, conventional x-ray radiation is adjusted by way of a filter, wherein equally the image quality and the x-ray radiation dose should be optimized. The filter usually reduces the x-ray radiation which is useful for the image quality, as a result of which to compensate an intensity of the x-ray radiation has to be increased. One further possibility of adjusting the emission spectrum is to vary the anode material generating the x-ray radiation.

The as yet unpublished application EP 18196848.8 discloses an x-ray tube with a surface structure of the anode which alternates periodically at least in sections. US 2019/0 030 363 A1 discloses two anode materials which are distanced from one another, wherein the first anode material generates braking radiation and the second anode material emits monochromatic x-ray radiation by way of the braking radiation.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention are directed to an x-ray tube, an x-ray device and a mammography device, in which a portion of monochromatic x-ray radiation is increased.

Advantageous embodiments are described in the claims.

In at least one embodiment, the inventive x-ray tube comprises:

an electron emitter emitting an electron beam and

a multilayer anode,

wherein the multilayer anode has a first anode layer facing the electron beam and a second anode layer facing away from the electron beam,

wherein the first anode layer has a first anode material for generating a braking radiation by way of the impinging electron beam,

wherein the second anode layer has a second anode material for generating a further x-ray radiation by way of the braking radiation,

wherein the further x-ray radiation is more monochromatic than the braking radiation and

wherein the first anode layer and the second anode layer adjoin one another in a planar manner.

In at least one embodiment, the inventive x-ray tube comprises:

an electron emitter to emit an electron beam; and

a multilayer anode including a first anode layer facing the electron beam and a second anode layer facing away from the electron beam, the first anode layer including a first anode material to generate a braking radiation via the electron beam and the second anode layer including a second anode material to generate a further x-ray radiation via the braking radiation,

wherein the further x-ray radiation is relatively more monochromatic than the braking radiation and wherein the first anode layer and the second anode layer adjoin in a planar manner.

At least one embodiment is directed to an x-ray device, comprising:

the x-ray tube of claim1; and

an x-ray detector.

At least one embodiment is directed to a mammography device, comprising:

the x-ray device of claim9; and

a chest support apparatus.

