New tubes

Siemens Medical Solutions and Xintek are to establish a joint venture company dubbed XinRay Systems to build a new multi-pixel X-ray source for a broad range of diagnostic imaging applications.

X-ray radiation is widely used today for a broad range of applications, including medical imaging and therapy, homeland security, and industrial inspection. The basic design of the X-ray tubes, however, has not changed significantly since Roentgen’s discovery over a hundred years ago.

Until recently, that is. Now, Siemens and Xintek have developed a nanotechnology-based field emission X-ray source that can generate spatially and temporally modulated x-ray radiation. The new source is expected to allow diagnostic imaging systems to sport enhanced performance and new capabilities.

The new X-ray source has already been evaluated for a range of applications including medical imaging, preclinical cancer studies and homeland security.

XinRay Systems, based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, builds on the previous joint activities undertaken between the two companies over the last two years. The new company will be staffed by a technical team transferred from Xintek and Siemens facilities in Germany and China.