US 12,451,317 B2
Reducing an electron emission of an electron emitter
Michael Wimmer, Weisendorf (DE); Joerg Freudenberger, Kalchreuth (DE); Anja Fritzler, Erlangen (DE); Christoph Jud, Nuremberg (DE); and Peter Geithner, Erlangen (DE)
Assigned to SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG, Forchheim (DE)
Filed by Siemens Healthineers AG, Forchheim (DE)
Filed on Jan. 30, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/041,182.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2024 200 886.9 (DE), filed on Jan. 31, 2024.
Prior Publication US 2025/0246393 A1, Jul. 31, 2025
Int. Cl. H01J 35/14 (2006.01); H01J 35/04 (2006.01); H01J 35/06 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 35/045 (2013.01) [H01J 35/064 (2019.05)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for reducing electron emission of an electron emitter, wherein the electron emitter includes a plurality of field effect emitter elements, a gate electrode and a first current limiting unit, wherein the plurality of field effect emitter elements are aligned in parallel to form an emission surface on a top of the plurality of field effect emitter elements, wherein the gate electrode is arranged above the emission surface, wherein the first current limiting unit and at least one first field effect emitter element of the plurality of field effect emitter elements are part of a first current path, wherein the at least one first field effect emitter element is electrically connected between the first current limiting unit and the gate electrode in the first current path, and wherein the method comprises:
emitting electrons from the first current path via the at least one first field effect emitter element, subject to a first emission voltage between the gate electrode and the emission surface;
determining properties of the first current path; and
activating the first current limiting unit subject to the properties of the first current path, to reduce the electron emission of the electron emitter.