3D Micro Tomography (Micro-CT)

X-rays have long been used to inspect the interior of opaque objects. With the proliferation of smaller and more complex parts and samples conventional x-ray imaging is often insufficient and high-resolution 3D imaging is required. 3D micro tomography (micro-CT) uses a microfocus x-ray source to illuminate an object from many different angles. The images are stored in a computer and used to calculate the internal structure in a similar way as medical CAT scans.

Micro-CT is used for many different applications, e.g. inspection of electronics components, small-animal imaging, and material science. In order to get high-resolution 3D maps of the object several hundred images may be required for the calculation and combined exposure times often exceeds several hours.

The Excillum microfocus x-ray source may be used to enhance this application in two different ways:

• The total exposure time to acquire the same number of x-ray images as with a conventional microfocus x-ray source may be cut by a factor of ten.

• Alternatively, the user may - with constant exposure time - acquire images from a larger number of angles to increase the resolution of the final 3D image.