MetalJet C2
Attractive and cost effective brightness
The Excillum MetalJet C2 features our unique liquid-metal-jet-anode technology and advanced electron optics. It delivers significantly higher brightness than a solid-target microfocus X-ray source, with an excellent spot quality. With the MetalJet C2 you will get a high-performance microfocus X-ray source, at a competitive price. If you in the future need even higher brightness than what is achievable with the round electron-beam focus, you have the possibility to upgrade to the MetalJet D2+, to get the world’s brightest microfocus X-ray tube.
With the introduction of Dynamic Adaptation technology the practical cathode lifetime has been further extended 2-4x, up to a full year of 24/7 operation depending on application.
Features and benefits
- Very high microfocus source power
- Superior spot quality
- User variable spot size
- Very stable x-ray emission and spot position
- Adjustable take-off angle
- Integrated radiation shielding1
- Optional dual-port mode
- Optional shutter
- No external cooling water requirement
- Minimum and predictable maintenance
- LaB6Â long-life cathode
- Operated remotely from any computer
- Controlled with GUI or TCP/IP protocol
- User-friendly Graphical User Interface
- Upgradable to D2+
1) In order for the source to be fully shielded it needs to be operated with the shutter mounted and closed, otherwise the source naturally emit X-rays through the window and in the window region.
Technical specifications
Target material2 | Liquid metal alloy | Min. focal spot size | < 10 μm (~5 µm offered on request) |
Target type | Liquid jet | Emission stability4 | < 1% |
Voltage | 21-70 kV | Position stability4 | < 1 μm |
Power3
| 0-200 W | Min. focus-object distance5 | 18 mm |
Max current | 4.3 mA | Beam angle6 | 13° |
2) Room temperature liquid gallium alloys consist mainly of gallium, indium and tin. They have low reactivity and low toxicity but should be handled according to their safety data sheets and local regulations. The currently available anode alloys are ExAlloy G1 with 95% gallium and ExAlloy I1 with 21% indium (see typical emission spectra on next page).
3) The actual power used is dependent on spot-size and voltage. Maximum power allowed by the software is 200 W, however, maximum output power of the 70 kV high-voltage generators is 300 W.
4) Standard deviation.
5) Without a shutter (24.8 mm with shutter).
6) Without a shutter (10.5° with shutter).
Available target alloys
Target alloy | Gallium | Indium | Tin |
ExAlloy-G1 | 95 | 5 | - |
ExAlloy-I1 | 68 | 22 | 10 |
ExAlloy-I27 | 47 | 37 | 16 |
ExAlloy-I3 | 75 | 25 | - |
7) Operation of ExAlloy-I2 requires that the MetalJet source is equipped with a heater system since the melting point is above room temperature. Due to this requirement the MetalJet sources with ExAlloy-I2 are under limited availability. Please contact us for further information.
Spot stability over 24 h
Spot shape example
Emission Spectra at 50 W, 70 kV, 20 µm (0.1 keV bin width)
The source consists of the head and the pump system with dimensi- ons shown in the drawing. The head has to be mounted essentiallystraight above the pump system. The coupling is semi-rigid, allowingsome movement of the source head.
In addition, the MetalJet C2 consists of two 4U (176 mm height) 19” rack electronics boxes and a floor standing air/water chiller (69×36×62 cm), that can be mounted up to 4m from the head and pump system.
Sources operating with ExAlloy I2 furthermore have heater jackets around parts in the alloy recirculation loop as well as an additional 3U (133 mm height), 19″ rack mounted controller.
The source can be remotely operated through TCP/IP or directly through the GUI. The GUI can be operated on the source itself if it isequipped with monitor, keyboard and mouse, or on most computerplatforms with a TCP/ IP connection to the source.
The source cannot be operated as a standalone unit and must be integrated into a system providing the proper interlock connections.
Mains: AC, single phase, 200-240 V, 16 A, 50/60 Hz.
Ambient: 20-25°C (stable within ± 0.2°C for optimal source stability), max 85% relative humidity.
Performance examples
Spot size8 [μm, FWHM] | E-beam power [W] | Ga Kα (9.2 keV) peak brightness [photons/(s mm2 mrad2)] | Ga Kα radiant flux [ph/(s mrad2)] |
20 | 50 | 1.4x1010 | 2.6x106 |
80 | 200 | 6.8x109 | 8.7x106 |
8) E-beam spot size, similar to the X-ray spot height. The X-ray spot width will be smaller.
More information
User stories
Experiences with the Excillum MetalJet X-ray sources
Learn about some of our customers’ experiences with our state-of-the-art X-ray sources.
Questions about our products?
Speak to our experts
We have a growing organization and a network of partners with the capabilities and expertise to maximize the benefits of our technology in your application.
Ask an expert
Matilda Svensson, M. Sc.
Jet Engineer
Some X-ray methods using MetalJet C2
Customer service
Our MetalJet and NanoTube X-ray sources are designed to ensure the highest levels of performance and reliability. Whenever regular maintenance, troubleshooting or optimization are required, our team of highly experienced engineers is available to provide worldwide service and support. We also offer a wide range of preventive maintenance and troubleshooting programs to ensure that every customer achieves the highest uptime and trouble-free operation.
