JPWO2013035823A1 - X-ray irradiation equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

In an X-ray generator of the type using an ultraviolet laser, application to a medical X-ray irradiation apparatus and stabilization of X-ray generation are aimed at. An X-ray irradiation apparatus includes a flexible tube having a tube inside, a flexible tube having an ultraviolet fiber inserted in the tube and propagating an ultraviolet laser, and an ultraviolet laser emitted from the ultraviolet fiber. Beam emitting device that receives an electron beam and emits an electron beam, a metal piece that receives an electron beam emitted from the electron beam emitting device and emits an X-ray, and an X-ray that transmits the X-ray emitted from the metal piece A head portion having a transmission window. When an ultraviolet laser is irradiated to one end of the ultraviolet fiber from one end side of the flexible tube portion, the ultraviolet laser propagated in the ultraviolet fiber is irradiated to the electron beam emitting element from the other end of the ultraviolet fiber. As described above, the head portion is disposed on the other end side of the flexible tube portion. Inside the head portion, at least a space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is a vacuum region.

Description

  The present invention relates to an X-ray irradiation apparatus.

Developments to reduce the size of X-ray generators are underway in response to demands for space saving, energy saving, portability, and minimizing the amount of X-ray exposure.
The X-ray generator accelerates the electron beam emitted from the electron source to a high energy by the high electric field generated by the high potential generation source, irradiates the metal piece with the electron beam, and emits the X-ray from the metal piece. The structure to be made is common.
For example, in the X-ray generator described in Patent Document 1, a small X-ray tube using a field emission carbon nanotube cathode as an electron source and a high-potential generator for applying a high-voltage ultrashort pulse to the X-ray tube In addition, high-frequency coaxial cables are used.
There has also been proposed an X-ray generator of a type in which a pyroelectric material is heated by a Peltier element to irradiate the copper pieces with electrons emitted from the pyroelectric material and emit X-rays from the copper pieces (non-patent document). 1)
See also Non-Patent Documents 2 to 4 as techniques related to the present invention.

Japanese Patent No. 3090910 WO2010 / 116709A1

Published online 31 January 2005 in Wiley InterScience. DOI: 10.1002 / xrs.800 Development of X-ray source using pyroelectric crystal and laser light, 44th X-ray analysis meeting, 18 October 2008, P21 Electron emission from Li 03 crystal induced by Nd: YAG laser The 57th Joint Lecture on Applied Physics Proceedings (2010) Electron emission form LiNO3 crystal excited by ultraviolet laser, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 28 (2), Mar / Apr 2010

All of the above X-ray generators achieve the demand for miniaturization, but according to the study of the present inventor, there are the following problems.
One application of a small X-ray generator is cancer treatment in which the X-ray generator is inserted into the body and directly irradiated with X-rays to cancer cells. From this point of view, when a type using a field emission type carbon nanotube cathode is examined, it is necessary to apply a high voltage to the cathode in this type, so even if an insulating coaxial cable is used, there is a sense of resistance in use at the treatment site. .
In the type using a pyroelectric material, a pyroelectric material is placed on the Peltier element, and the pyroelectric material is heated by the Peltier element to emit electrons from the pyroelectric material. Therefore, a high voltage is not required for the voltage applied to the Peltier element. However, since the emission of electrons continues from the pyroelectric body in the heated state even during cooling, it becomes difficult to control on / off of X-ray generation. This is because it takes time to completely cool the entire pyroelectric material to the non-electron emission state.
In the methods disclosed in Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4, it has been difficult to stably emit X-rays having sufficient intensity for cancer treatment, for example.

In the previous application (PCT / JP2010 / 002489), the present inventor has proposed a novel X-ray generator of a type that emits an electron beam from a pyroelectric material by irradiating the pyroelectric material with an ultraviolet laser. By using an ultraviolet laser, a solution to the problems caused by the application of high voltage as described above and the difficulty in controlling on / off of X-ray generation has been provided. However, there were issues to be considered for more practical applications. For example, when the apparatus is used as an X-ray irradiation apparatus for cancer treatment that is used by being inserted into the body, there is a problem of how to send the X-ray emission part of the apparatus to the irradiation target site in the patient's body. there were. There is still room for improvement in the stable generation of X-rays.
Therefore, the present inventor has further studied the X-ray generation apparatus, studied the application as a medical X-ray irradiation apparatus, and attempted to stabilize the generation of X-rays.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an X-ray generator of the type using an ultraviolet laser as an X-ray irradiation apparatus excellent in practical use, particularly as an in-body insertion type X-ray irradiation apparatus used for medical purposes. .
Another object of the present invention is to stabilize the generation of X-rays in an X-ray irradiation apparatus of a type using an ultraviolet laser.

The present inventor has examined a measure for improving the usability when the X-ray generation device is applied as an in-body insertion type X-ray irradiation device. Therefore, the first aspect of the present invention is defined as follows. That is,
A flexible tube having a flexible tube having a conduit inside, and an ultraviolet fiber inserted into the conduit and propagating an ultraviolet laser; and
An electron beam emitting device that receives an ultraviolet laser emitted from the ultraviolet fiber and emits an electron beam, a metal piece that emits an X-ray upon receiving an electron beam emitted from the electron beam emitting device, and the metal A head portion having an X-ray transmission window that transmits X-rays emitted from the piece;
An X-ray irradiation apparatus comprising:
When an ultraviolet laser is applied to one end of the ultraviolet fiber from one end side of the flexible tube portion, the ultraviolet laser propagated in the ultraviolet fiber is applied to the electron beam emitting element from the other end of the ultraviolet fiber. The head portion is disposed on the other end side of the flexible tube portion so as to be irradiated to the
An X-ray irradiation apparatus, wherein at least a space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is a vacuum region inside the head portion.

  When the X-ray irradiation apparatus is applied as a body insertion type X-ray irradiation apparatus, as described above, by providing the flexible tube portion having the flexible tube, the head portion which is an X-ray source is connected to the irradiation target site in the patient body. And after the irradiation, the device can be reliably extracted out of the body. Further, in the head portion, at least the space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is made a vacuum region, so that the emission of the electron beam is stabilized, so that X-rays can be stably generated.

Examples of the electron beam emitting device used in the present invention include LiNbO ₃ single crystal and LiTaO ₃ single crystal as pyroelectric materials. In addition, a ferroelectric substance such as PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconate titanate) can be used. Moreover, as a flexible tube material, various materials (vinyl chloride, silicon, polyethylene, nylon, urethane, a fluororesin, etc.) can be used as needed.

The second aspect of the present invention is defined as follows. That is,
An ultraviolet fiber that propagates an ultraviolet laser; and
An electron beam emitter for receiving an ultraviolet laser emitted from the ultraviolet fiber and emitting an electron beam;
A metal piece that receives an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device and emits an X-ray;
A transmission window that transmits X-rays emitted from the metal piece;
A flexible tube having a pipe line therein, wherein the optical fiber is inserted into the pipe line, and the electron beam emitting element, the metal piece, and the transmission window are disposed; An X-ray irradiation apparatus comprising:
When an ultraviolet laser is applied to one end of the ultraviolet fiber from one end of the flexible tube, the ultraviolet laser propagated in the ultraviolet fiber is transmitted from the other end of the ultraviolet fiber to the electron beam emitting element. So that the electron beam emitting element is disposed inside the conduit near the other end of the flexible tube,
An X-ray irradiation apparatus characterized in that at least a space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is a vacuum region inside a conduit of the flexible tube.
Even with such a configuration, the same effect as in the first aspect can be obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray irradiation apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the X-ray irradiation apparatus is disposed on one end side of the flexible tube and evacuates the inside of the flexible tube. A vacuum pump is further provided, wherein the vacuum region communicates with the inside of the conduit of the flexible tube.

  In this way, by vacuuming the inside of the flexible tube with the vacuum pump, the vacuum region communicating with the inside of the flexible tube can also be vacuumed, so that the vacuum is maintained efficiently. can do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray generator according to the first or second aspect, the apparatus further comprises a vacuum pump disposed on one end side of the flexible tube, The vacuum pump further includes a pipe line different from the pipe line, the vacuum pump is configured to evacuate the inside of the another pipe line, and the vacuum region and the another pipe line communicate with each other. And
This aspect assumes that a multi-lumen tube is used as the flexible tube. This makes it possible to easily construct a passage for evacuating the vacuum region.

Further, the present inventor has found that generation of X-rays is stabilized by continuously supplying a reducing gas to a pyroelectric material as an electron beam emitting device, and has completed the following invention.
That is, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray irradiation apparatus according to the first to fourth aspects, the reducing gas supply that is disposed on one end side of the flexible tube and supplies the reducing gas. The apparatus further includes a device and a reducing gas supply passage that is disposed inside the conduit of the flexible tube and supplies the reducing gas from the reducing gas supply device to the vacuum region.

  In this way, by supplying the reducing gas to the vacuum region, electric charges are continuously supplied to the pyroelectric surface, electrons are stably generated, and X-ray generation can be performed stably.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray irradiation apparatus according to one of the first to fourth aspects, a reducing gas supply device that is disposed on one end side of the flexible tube and supplies a reducing gas. The flexible tube further includes a conduit different from the conduit, and the separate conduit is a reducing gas for supplying the reducing gas from the reducing gas supply device to the vacuum region. It functions as a supply passage.
This aspect assumes that a multi-lumen tube is used as the flexible tube. Thereby, the reducing gas supply passage can be easily constructed.

For example, a YAG laser oscillator can be used as the ultraviolet laser generator. Ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet oscillator is introduced into one end of an optical fiber for ultraviolet light, and the other end of the optical fiber is made to face the laser receiving surface of the element. An ultraviolet ray generating laser diode or a light emitting diode made of a group III nitride compound semiconductor can also be used. When higher output is required, it is preferable to use an excimer laser oscillator.
The ultraviolet laser may be pulsed light or continuous light, and an ultraviolet lamp is also possible if there is a sufficient amount of light.

  The wavelength of the ultraviolet light is not allowed to pass through the electron beam emitting element, and is set to 300 nm or less, for example. This is because most of the ultraviolet rays having such short wavelengths are absorbed by the outermost surface of the pyroelectric material, which is an electron beam emitting element, so that high energy conversion efficiency can be secured.

The ultraviolet laser is preferably applied to the surface opposite to the surface facing the metal piece in the pyroelectric material as the electron beam emitting element. Thereby, the metal piece, the electron beam emitting element, and the ultraviolet fiber can be arranged in series, and the assembly of the apparatus is facilitated.
The surface irradiated with ultraviolet rays is the negative electrode surface of the pyroelectric material.
In the pyroelectric body as the electron beam emitting element, the surface facing the metal piece (electron beam emitting surface) can be finely processed to form protrusions on the surface, thereby promoting electron beam emission.
A thin plate of copper or a copper alloy can be adopted as the metal piece. Of course, a metal other than copper, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, can be used if X-rays can be emitted in response to the irradiated electrons.

It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an X-ray irradiation apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This X-ray irradiation apparatus 1 is configured as a catheter suitable for insertion into a lumen of a living body, an organ such as a blood vessel, or a hole drilled in the living body.
The X-ray irradiation apparatus 1 includes a head unit 10, a flexible tube unit 40, and a control unit 50.
The head portion 10 includes a cylindrical casing 11 having a male screw portion 13 in the outer peripheral portion near one end side. An X-ray transmission window 12 is provided at the center of the front end surface of the housing 11 opposite to the male screw portion 13, and an end portion on the opposite side to the X-ray transmission window 12 (that is, the end portion on the male screw portion 13 side). A cylindrical pyroelectric body (LiNbO ₃ single crystal) 20 (cross-sectional diameter: 5 mm) as an electron beam emitting element is fitted on the inner peripheral side. A copper piece 25 is disposed between the pyroelectric body 20 inside the housing 11 and the X-ray transmission window 12. The housing 11 has a sealed structure so that the inside thereof is in a vacuum state of about 10 ⁻³ to 10 ⁻⁴ Torr. However, the inside of the housing 11 only needs to be in a vacuum state between at least the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25.
In the pyroelectric body 20, the electron emission surface 23 facing the copper piece 25 is finely processed by etching, and preferably a needle-like protrusion is formed on the surface.

Here, the entire peripheral surface of the pyroelectric material as the electron beam emitting element is brought into close contact with the housing, so that the electron beam emission capability, and thus the X-ray emission capability, is maintained.
When the entire peripheral surface of the pyroelectric body is in contact with other elements such as a casing, an electrical path is more likely to be formed at the interface compared to a space (including a vacuum state).
According to the study of the present inventor, even if the entire peripheral surface of the pyroelectric material is brought into contact with other elements, a sufficient potential difference can be obtained between the laser light receiving surface and the electron beam emitting surface of the pyroelectric material. It was.
A potential difference can be obtained between both sides of a pyroelectric material when it is brought into contact with a conductive metal (steel material) as well as an insulating material such as a resin as a material for forming an element to be brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric material. It was. In addition, when the conductive metal was brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric material, the potential difference obtained between both surfaces of the pyroelectric material was smaller than when the conductive metal was brought into contact.

According to the inventor's investigation, under the condition of irradiating a 400 mw ultraviolet laser using lithium tantalate as a short cylindrical pyroelectric material, (1) the surrounding of the pyroelectric material is vacuum (10 ⁻² Torr), (2 ) When the pyroelectric material is fitted into a pipe made of vinyl chloride (with no visual gap), (3) When the pyroelectric material is fitted into a metal (steel) tube (with no visual gap) The potential difference between both surfaces was 13 kV in the case of (1), 7 kV in the case of (2), and 2 kV in the case of (3).
In this way, when assembling the pyroelectric body to the housing, it is possible to forcibly fit the pyroelectric body to the housing, or to fix the pyroelectric body with the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric body and the inner peripheral surface of the housing with an adhesive. It becomes possible. Of course, if only a part of the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric body is connected to the housing, a larger potential difference can be secured between the laser light receiving surface and the electron beam emitting surface of the pyroelectric body.
By providing ribs or grooves continuous in the circumferential direction or the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the housing and / or the pyroelectric body, or by providing irregularities, the connection between the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric body and the housing can be established. Can be partial.
If the element connected to the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric material is formed of a material having high thermal conductivity, it is possible to prevent the pyroelectric material from rising in temperature. For example, the portion that contacts the pyroelectric material is formed of an insulating material such as a resin, and the conductive material between the two surfaces (the ultraviolet laser irradiation surface and the electron beam emission surface) of the pyroelectric material is prevented from being electrically connected. By allowing the pyroelectric material to exist, it is possible to efficiently release the heat of the pyroelectric material to the outside while ensuring a high potential difference on both sides of the pyroelectric material. Such a structure can be obtained by the presence of an insulating adhesive layer between the peripheral surface of the pyroelectric body and the inner peripheral surface of the metal tube, and it can be seen that the work is extremely easy.

  The flexible tube portion 40 is formed by inserting the optical fiber 43 into the flexible tube 41 and fixing the both end portions of the optical fiber 43 to the inner peripheral surface in the vicinity of both ends of the flexible tube 41 with a pair of spacers 44. Composed. The optical fiber 43 is for ultraviolet rays, and for example, quartz glass can be used for the core portion. The inner peripheral surface on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion 40 is a female screw portion 45 and is screwed with the male screw portion 13 of the head portion 10. However, the coupling method of the head unit 10 and the flexible tube unit 40 is not limited to screwing, but may be fitting or bonding with an adhesive, and these methods may be appropriately combined. In any case, it is required to ensure a sealing property to the extent that liquid does not enter from the joint portion of the head portion 10 and the flexible tube portion 40. The optical fiber 43 is disposed so that the end on the head unit 10 side faces the end surface (laser light receiving surface 21) of the pyroelectric body 20 on the side opposite to the copper piece 25.

The control unit 50 includes an ultraviolet laser generator 51 and its driver 52. Reference numeral 55 denotes a control device that controls the driver 52.
The light emitting portion of the ultraviolet laser generator 51 faces one end of the optical fiber 43 at the base end of the flexible tube portion 40, and the ultraviolet laser is incident on one end of the optical fiber 43.
A YAG pulse laser oscillator can be used as the ultraviolet laser generator 51, and its output is limited by the driver 52. The wavelength of the ultraviolet laser is not particularly limited as long as the pyroelectric body 20 can be activated (that is, the electron beam can be emitted from the pyroelectric body 20). Short is preferred. The wavelength of the ultraviolet laser is preferably 300 nm or less. This is because most of such short-wavelength ultraviolet rays are absorbed by the outermost surface of the pyroelectric material, so that high energy conversion efficiency can be secured. The ratings of the YAG pulse laser oscillator of this embodiment are wavelength: about 250 nm, pulse width: 100 μm, and maximum output: about 350 mJ.

  As described above, the other end of the optical fiber 43 faces the laser light receiving surface 21 of the pyroelectric body 20. Therefore, the ultraviolet laser incident on one end of the optical fiber 43 from the ultraviolet laser generator 51 is propagated through the optical fiber 43 and then emitted from the other end of the optical fiber 43, and is incident on the laser light receiving surface 21 of the pyroelectric body 20. Irradiated. As a result, the pyroelectric body 20 is activated and electrons are emitted from the electron beam emitting surface 23 opposite to the laser light receiving surface 21. The emitted electrons are applied to the copper piece 25. Then, X-rays are emitted from the copper piece, and the X-rays are irradiated to an irradiation target located outside the X-ray irradiation apparatus 1 through the X-ray transmission window 12.

FIG. 2 shows an X-ray irradiation apparatus 60 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
In the example of FIG. 2, the connection between the head portion 10 and the flexible tube portion 40 is made by connecting a female screw portion 14 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11 and a male screw portion 46 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube 41. This is done by screwing. However, the connecting method of the head portion 11 and the flexible tube portion 41 is not limited to screwing, but may be fitting, bonding with an adhesive, or a combination of these methods.

  Furthermore, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, the space between the copper piece 25 and the X-ray transmission window 12 is not provided in the embodiment of FIG. 2. That is, the copper piece 25 and the X-ray transmission window 12 are provided so as to be in surface contact with each other. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the pyroelectric body 20 is directly fitted into the opening of the casing 11 to ensure the hermeticity inside the casing 11. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the pyroelectric body is secured. The pyroelectric body holding member 24 on which 11 is placed is fitted into the opening of the housing 11 to ensure the hermeticity inside the housing 11. Therefore, the outer diameter of the pyroelectric body 11 can be made smaller than the inner diameter of the housing 11. Moreover, since the accuracy required for the outer diameter of the pyroelectric body 11 can be reduced, the yield of the pyroelectric body 11 is improved. As the material for the pyroelectric body holding member 24, a material that can transmit a laser having a wavelength in the ultraviolet region, such as quartz glass, is used.

  In the example of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, when the head unit 10 is removable, only the head unit 10 can be a disposable type. Further, when the head unit 10 is used repeatedly, since the laser light receiving surface 21 is a part of the outer surface of the housing 11, the light receiving surface 21 can be easily cleaned up. The service life is improved.

FIG. 3 shows an X-ray irradiation apparatus 70 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the head portion and the flexible tube portion are configured as separate bodies, but in the example of FIG. 3, these are configured as an integrated flexible tube portion 71. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the pyroelectric body 20, the copper piece 25, and the X-ray irradiation window 12 are inserted into the inside of the conduit near the distal end portion of the flexible tube 41 constituting the flexible tube portion 71. . Further, an optical fiber 43 is inserted into the conduit of the flexible tube 41 so that the end thereof faces the ultraviolet light receiving surface 21 of the pyroelectric body 20. In the present embodiment, spacers 15 and 16 for attaching the X-ray irradiation window 12 and the pyroelectric body 20 to the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 41 are used.

The X-ray irradiation apparatus 70 of this embodiment further has a vacuum pump 53. The vacuum pump 53 is used to evacuate the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 through the suction path 47. Therefore, the suction path 47 communicates with the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 through the conduit of the flexible tube 41. For the communication, the spacers 16 and 44 are provided with openings 17 and 48, respectively. The vacuum pump 53 is electrically connected to the control device 55 and controlled by the control device 55. The operation of the vacuum pump 53 is controlled so that the inside of the housing 11 is maintained in a vacuum state of about 10 ⁻² to 10 ⁻⁴ Torr.

We studied a method to stably output X-rays over a long period of time. Isopropyl alcohol was introduced as a reducing gas into a vacuum vessel in which a pyroelectric material was present.
An X-ray irradiation apparatus 80 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 is an example having a configuration for introducing isopropyl alcohol into the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25. That is, the X-ray irradiation apparatus 80 in FIG. 4 includes a reducing gas supply device 54 in addition to the configuration of the apparatus 70 in FIG. 3, and the reducing gas supply device 54 is based on the control of the control device 55. Through the supply pipe 56, isopropyl alcohol as a reducing gas is supplied to the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25. The reducing gas supply pipe 56 is inserted into openings 18 and 49 provided in the spacers 16 and 44 in the conduit of the flexible pipe 41, and has an opening end near the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25. Have Vacuuming by the vacuum pump 53 is continued so that the pressure in the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 is always 2 to 3 × 10 ⁻² torr. The supply site of the reducing gas to the container is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the gas is efficiently supplied to the electron beam emission surface. In the present embodiment, the opening end of the reducing gas supply pipe 56 is installed on the opposite side of the opening 16 of the spacer 16 with the pyroelectric body 20 in between.

As a premise for X-ray emission, electrons are radiated from the pyroelectric body 20 to the copper piece 25. Therefore, it is important to supply electrons to the electron emission surface 23 of the pyroelectric body 20. For this purpose, it is important to give a hydrogen bond to the electron emission surface 23, and isopropyl alcohol having a reducing property becomes an electron supply source. Other reducing alcohols or hydrogen gas can be used as the reducing gas.
Since the electron emission surface 23 of the pyroelectric body 20 needs to have hydrogen bonds, the laser is stopped when the reducing gas is supplied to deactivate the electron emission surface 23.
That is, to regenerate an electron beam emitting device such as a pyroelectric material, at least the reducing gas is supplied to the electron emitting surface, the laser is turned off, and the electron beam emitting surface is inactivated.
The above shows the regeneration based on the X-ray emission phenomenon, but this phenomenon also suggests the regeneration of the electron beam emission function of the electron beam emitter.

  FIG. 5 shows an X-ray irradiation apparatus 90 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a modification of FIG. In the apparatus 70 of FIG. 3, the internal space of the conduit of the flexible tube 41 through which the optical fiber 43 is inserted is used as a route for evacuation by the vacuum pump 53. On the other hand, the apparatus 90 of FIG. 5 uses a multi-lumen type flexible tube 91 having a plurality of conduits of a first conduit 92 and a second conduit 93 instead of the flexible tube 41 of FIG. . Then, the optical fiber 43, the pyroelectric body 20, the copper piece 25, the X-ray transmission window 12 and other members are installed in the first conduit 92, and the second conduit 93 is used as a evacuation route. Therefore, the suction path 47 communicates with the second pipe line 93. Further, the second conduit 93 communicates with the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 through the opening 94 provided in the inner peripheral side wall of the second conduit 93. The opening on the distal end side of the second conduit 93 is sealed with a plug 95.

  FIG. 6 shows an X-ray irradiation apparatus 100 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 100 in FIG. 6 uses a multi-lumen flexible tube having a plurality of conduits of a first conduit 102, a second conduit 103, and a third conduit 104 as the flexible tube 101. Members such as the optical fiber 43, the pyroelectric body 20, the copper piece 25, and the X-ray transmission window 12 are disposed in the first conduit 102, and the second conduit 103 is used as a fluid passage for evacuation. The three pipe lines 104 are used as a reducing gas supply path. Therefore, the intake passage 47 communicates with the second conduit 103, and the second conduit 103 communicates with the space between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 through the opening 105 provided in the inner peripheral side wall portion thereof. doing. Similarly, the reducing gas supply pipe 56 communicates with the third pipe 104, and the third pipe 104 passes between the pyroelectric body 20 and the copper piece 25 through the opening 106 provided on the inner peripheral side wall portion thereof. It communicates with the space. It is desirable that the opening 105 and the opening 106 are installed on substantially opposite sides of the pyroelectric body 20. The distal ends of the second and third conduits 103 and 104 are sealed with plugs 107 and 108, respectively.

  You may combine each characteristic structure of said each embodiment in the realizable range.

The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiment of the invention. Various modifications may be included in the present invention as long as those skilled in the art can easily conceive without departing from the description of the scope of claims.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the X-ray irradiation direction is the same as the apparatus axial direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The X-ray irradiation window 12 is provided on the outer side in the radial direction of the housing 11, and the X-ray irradiation direction is changed by adjusting the installation direction of the copper piece 25 with respect to the axial direction or changing the shape of the copper piece 25. You may set in directions other than an axial direction, such as a direction.

  The apparatus of each embodiment is the structure which provided the head part provided with the X-ray transmissive window at the front-end | tip of a flexible tube part. Since the flexible tube portion is deformable, the head portion can be set at an arbitrary position and / or orientation. With this configuration, the X-ray generator is excellent in operability without being limited to catheter applications.

You may combine each characteristic structure of said each embodiment and each Example in the realizable range.
X-rays generated by the X-ray generator of the present invention can be used for treatment of the human body. For example, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, laryngeal cancer, head and neck cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, It can be used as radiation therapy for renal cell cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, lung cancer, mediastinal tumor, bone / soft tissue tumor, skin cancer, malignant melanoma, brain tumor, leukemia, malignant lymphoma and the like.
In addition, since the X-ray generator and the electron beam generator of the present invention can be made thin, they can be incorporated into catheters and endoscopes.
Since the X-ray generator of the present invention has the same X-ray wavelength and a small radiation angle, it can be suitably used for surface treatment of fine materials. The electron beam generator of the present invention can also be applied to material surface treatment.
The X-ray generator of the present invention can be used as an X-ray source for a nondestructive inspection apparatus or a medical observation apparatus.
Moreover, this X-ray generator can also be used as an apparatus which gives a change to a gene. If a sufficient sealing property is given to the skeleton, X-rays can be directly irradiated to living organisms (animals, plants) in water or in the soil as they are.

1, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 X-ray irradiation device 10 Head unit 12 X-ray transmission window 20 Pyroelectric material (electron beam emitting element)
25 Copper pieces (metal pieces)
40, 71, 81 Flexible tube portion 41, 91, 101 Flexible tube 43 Optical fiber (ultraviolet ray fiber)
51 Ultraviolet Laser Oscillator 53 Intake Pump 54 Reducing Gas Supply Device

Claims (6)

A flexible tube having a flexible tube having a conduit inside, and an ultraviolet fiber inserted into the conduit and propagating an ultraviolet laser; and
An electron beam emitting device that receives an ultraviolet laser emitted from the ultraviolet fiber and emits an electron beam, a metal piece that emits an X-ray upon receiving an electron beam emitted from the electron beam emitting device, and the metal A head portion having an X-ray transmission window that transmits X-rays emitted from the piece;
An X-ray irradiation apparatus comprising:
When an ultraviolet laser is applied to one end of the ultraviolet fiber from one end side of the flexible tube portion, the ultraviolet laser propagated in the ultraviolet fiber is applied to the electron beam emitting element from the other end of the ultraviolet fiber. The head portion is disposed on the other end side of the flexible tube portion so as to be irradiated to the
An X-ray irradiation apparatus, wherein at least a space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is a vacuum region inside the head portion. An ultraviolet fiber that propagates an ultraviolet laser; and
An electron beam emitter for receiving an ultraviolet laser emitted from the ultraviolet fiber and emitting an electron beam;
A metal piece that receives an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device and emits an X-ray;
A transmission window that transmits X-rays emitted from the metal piece;
A flexible tube having a pipe line therein, wherein the optical fiber is inserted into the pipe line, and the electron beam emitting element, the metal piece, and the transmission window are disposed; An X-ray irradiation apparatus comprising:
When an ultraviolet laser is applied to one end of the ultraviolet fiber from one end of the flexible tube, the ultraviolet laser propagated in the ultraviolet fiber is transmitted from the other end of the ultraviolet fiber to the electron beam emitting element. So that the electron beam emitting element is disposed inside the conduit near the other end of the flexible tube,
An X-ray irradiation apparatus characterized in that at least a space between the electron beam emitting element and the metal piece is a vacuum region inside a conduit of the flexible tube. A vacuum pump disposed on one end of the flexible tube and evacuating the inside of the flexible tube;
The X-ray irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum region and the conduit of the flexible tube communicate with each other. A vacuum pump disposed on one end of the flexible tube;
The flexible tube further has a conduit different from the conduit,
The vacuum pump is configured to evacuate the inside of the another pipe line,
The X-ray irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum region and the another pipe line communicate with each other. A reducing gas supply device that is disposed on one end of the flexible tube and supplies a reducing gas;
5. A reducing gas supply passage disposed inside the flexible tube and configured to supply the reducing gas from the reducing gas supply device to the vacuum region. 5. X-ray irradiation equipment. A reducing gas supply device that is disposed on one end of the flexible tube and supplies a reducing gas;
The flexible tube further has a conduit different from the conduit,
5. The X-ray according to claim 1, wherein the another pipe line functions as a reducing gas supply passage for supplying the reducing gas from the reducing gas supply device to the vacuum region. Irradiation device.

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