The Design and Fabrication of Carbon-Nanotube-Based Field Emission X-Ray Cathode With Ballast Resistor

The incorporation of a ballast resistor layer underneath field emitters can improve the reliability and stability of field emission cathodes. However, it has not been successfully demonstrated in carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based field emitters. In this paper, we introduce a fabrication process of a low-density vertically aligned CNT array with a ballast resistor layer. Furthermore, an X-ray tube prototype based on this cathode is demonstrated.