X-Ray Dose in Microfocus Radiographic Inspections

摘要

The radiation dose accumulated by specimens during real-time microfocus radiographic examination is of interest to program office customers and their contractors because of possible damage to certain sensitive types of electronic components. The real-time X-ray facility in The Aerospace Corporation's Laboratory Operations has two microfocus radiography systems. This report characterizes the radiation levels in both our Feinfocus model 160.52 system and our Phoenix X-ray 'PCBA/Analyzer.' These instruments are representative of the state-of-the-art in X-ray inspection. The variables involved in the determination of total dose include the voltage and current of the X-ray tube; the amount and type of shielding material (incidental and deliberate) between the sample and the X-ray source; the distance from the source to the sample; and the time spent looking at the sample. Some general principles of X-ray dosimetry are discussed along with strategies for dose minimization when required. Most of the considerable body of published work on the characterization of kilovolt X-ray sources has been done by the medical physics community. This report aims at ensuring that similar information is brought to the attention of people in the aerospace industry.