Article template for the 2nd issue of ReJNDT:

Measurement of Focal Spots of X-ray Tubes Using a CT Reconstruction

Approach on Edge Images of Large Holes (2022/23)
Seyedreza HASHEMI1, Uwe ZSCHERPEL2
1
Department 8 “NDT”, Dresden International University
Berlin, Germany; Phone: +49 30 8104 3403; Seyedreza.Hashemi@BAM.de
2
Department 8 “NDT”, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin, Germany;
Uwe.Zscherpel@BAM.de
More info about this article: https://www.ndt.net/?id=29299

Abstract

The first Non-destructive testing (NDT) method to evolve in the industrial age was radiographic testing (RT) [1].
Among all NDT methods, RT is no exception, so there are still many issues for optimizations even today. One of
them is the measurement of the focal spot of X-ray tubes [2]. The size of the focal spot is critical for imaging
because it determines the spatial resolution in the X-ray image. The classical way to image focal spots of X-ray
tubes is by pinhole imaging using a camera obscura [1]. But this method has a natural lower limit, which is defined
by the diameter of the pinhole (today min. 10 µm) [2]. Focal spot sizes lower than 50 µm diameter cannot be
imaged and measured correctly. An alternative approach, which permits this, was investigated here.

Keywords: radiographic testing (RT) using X-rays, Focal spot measurement, Edge unsharpness, X-ray tubes,
Pinholes, Computed Tomography (CT), Focal Spot (FS), Reconstruction method

1. Introduction
The development of algorithms of Computed Tomography allows a similar approach for focal
spot imaging but using holes with a larger diameter than the focal spot size to be imaged. In
such a large hole the edge unsharpness of the hole rim by the focal spot size can be measured
by profiles in different directions, and a first derivative following a CT reconstruction will
deliver a nearly identical focal spot image compared to the classical pinhole imaging. There is
principal no lower focal spot size limit anymore. Computational problems must be analyzed
and application and parameter range for practical focal spot measurements have to be
determined [2].

2. Background of the study

2.1 Statement of problem
The use of the pinhole method (ASTM E 1165-20, EN 12543-2:2021) requires the application
of special pinhole cameras. These standards describe how the 2D spot shape and size of focal
spots can be determined from a pinhole image. The focal spot size should be 10x larger than
the pinhole diameter to avoid any additional unsharpness in the spot size measurement by the
pinhole. Microfocus (1 µm ≤ spot sizes < 0,1mm) and nano focus tubes (spot sizes < 1 µm)
have a significantly lower photon flux than mini (0,1 mm ≤ spot sizes < 1mm) and macro focus
tubes (spot sizes ≥ 1 mm). Further-more, pinholes (see EN 12543-2 or ASTM E 1165) with
diameters <10 µm cannot be manufactured with sufficient X-ray contrast and will also not
permit a sufficient photon statistic for digital imaging with the required magnifications [10].
The currently available standard parts of EN 12543 cover the range of spot sizes from 5 µm up
to several millimeters. Tomographic methods for focal spot size shape reconstruction were
proposed and will be discussed as standard draft prEN 12543-7:2022. During the last years,
more and more nano focus tubes have been developed for high-resolution applications and
microscopy. Manufacturers and users apply different methods for the measurement of nano

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© 2024 The Authors. Published by NDT.net under License CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.58286/29299
focus spot sizes and spatial resolution, which differ by a factor of more than two [10] which is
not acceptable. There-fore, a new standard draft prEN 12543-6:2022 was proposed. As the
miniaturization of electronic devices has become increasingly prevalent, and with the advent of
new technologies such as electrical vehicles and the use of lightweight compounds in the
aviation industry, there has been an increasing need for CT measurements with a spatial
resolution of 5 µm or less – approximately 1/10th the width of a human hair. The spot size of
the X-ray tube directly limits the spatial resolution. However, there are today no internationally
accepted standards or measurement methods for X-ray tube spot sizes below 5 µm. X-ray
equipment manufacturers applying proprietary measurement methods leads to inconsistent
results. Therefore, new methods based on traceable characterized gauges for the determination
of the spot size, shape, and position are being developed and are introduced as an internationally
recognized standard for these spot measurements [4].

Figure 1 - X-Ray focal spot sizes range covered by currently available standards and the new range extension by
the European EURAMET project “NanoXSpot” below 5 µm [5].

2.2 Scope of study

The scope of coverage of this Master Thesis involves the following:

• Introduction to ISO 32543-1 (identical to EN 12543-2:2021) (pinhole) and prEN

12543-7 (hole gauge) for focal spot imaging.
• 3 X-ray tubes were studied:
o Tube #1: MesoFocus 225kV – Comet MXR-225MF with 3 focal spot sizes
o Tube #2: MesoFocus 450kV – Comet MXC-450MF with 5 focal spot sizes
o Tube #3: XWT-240-THE Plus – X-RAY WorX microfocus transmission tube
width 5-micron spatial resolution.
• Study of the influence of noise on the uncertainty of measurement of focal spot sizes.
• Optimization of the magnification factor depending on hole size and real focal spot
size.
• Investigation of computational problems of the existing software and comparison of
results.
• Comparison of results using EN12543-2 & prEN12543-7 on the same X-ray tube
and identical focal spot settings.
• Determination of application ranges of the different techniques for practical focal
spot measurement and summary

3. Measurements and Results

3.1 X-ray tubes focal spot measurements

3.1.1 X-ray focal spot measurement for tube #1

This tube has the ability to set 3 focal spot sizes for 3 different X-ray power values. All three
sizes were measured. According to the requirements of EN12543-2 [6] and prEN12543-7 [7]
standards, 75% of the maximum tube voltage was used for all measurements (169 kV). To
measure the focal spots of this tube, the KowoSpot Pinhole camera, NxS Gauge, Hamamatsu
DDA, and Dexela DDA were used. In a reference measurement using the pinhole method

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according to EN12543-2, a 10 µm pinhole was used for all sizes of focal spots. The obtained
screen snapshots were calculated by Isee! software and KowoSpot X software. The size of focal
spots was calculated considering a magnification factor of 7 and summarized in Table 1.
Next, a 2mm sharp hole gauge and NxS gauge were used. All three focal spot sizes were
measured again, and the obtained screenshots were evaluated by the NxS program based on the
introduced method in the prEN12543-7 standard draft. The 2mm sharp hole gauge measured
by the Hamamatsu DDA reached only a CNR (Contrast to Noise Ratio) below 20, which was
too low, so the NxS software was unable to calculate the focal spot size.
The Hamamatsu DDA, which was used in the KowoSpot X camera system, is able to provide
suitable results for the pinhole measurement method according to EN 12543-2 with its thin CsI
scintillator screen and a pixel size of 20 µm (SRb = 25 µm), but when used together with the
NxS gauge and its low contrast 9 µm thick gold pattern, the contrast sensitivity of its small
pixels is not sufficient for a good CNR. Therefore, these Images do not have enough quality to
be evaluated by the NxS software. For this reason, the Dexela DDA was used to continue this
measurement. This detector has a pixel size of 75 µm, but a much thicker CsI scintillator screen
(SRb = 85 µm) resulting in a much higher contrast sensitivity. The attenuation efficiency of the
Dexela detector is about (85/25)3 = 39 times higher than the Hamamatsu detector. One of the
aims was to investigate the effect of different calculations of the magnification. The
Magnification can be calculated from the measured distances according to Fig.2. The NxS tool
measured the Magnification in the image using the given DDA pixel size and the given hole
diameter, which is fitted to the gray values of the hole image. Both magnification values should
be identical. For this purpose, 3 different setups were designed to achieve 3 different
magnifications of 7, 11, and 25.

Figure 2 – Different Magnification Set-ups with MXR-225MF tube

Magnification 7 with KowoSpot X camera Set (left), Magnification 11 with NxS gauge and Hamamatsu DDA
(Center), Magnification 25 with NxS gauge and Dexela DDA (right)

All the obtained results are given in Table 1. Based on the obtained results and analysis, it was
shown that the images obtained by DDA Hamamatsu with the NxS gauge do not have sufficient
SNR & CNR for evaluation. Therefore, it is not possible to evaluate these images (orange colour
in the table 1). Also, according to prEN12543-7 standard requirements, the permissible range
of gauge hole diameter should be between 5 and 15 times the anticipated focal spot size AFS
(green colour in the table 1). In Table 1, the hole diameters that are larger than the standard
range are marked with a blue colour, and hole diameters that are smaller than the standard range
are marked with a yellow colour. Based on the uncertainty considerations given in chapters 4.2
and 4.3 an overall uncertainty of ±5% was considered for the results. To compare the 2 different
methods, the size of the X-ray focal spot, measured by ISee! software (i.e., the pinhole method)
is representing the standard EN 12543-2, and the rest of the measurements with a large hole
which is measured by NxS software are representing the standard prEN 12543-7 (i.e. the
reconstruction method). On the other hand, the pinhole method is considered an acceptable
standard measurement method above 50 µm focal spot size, so in this research, the pinhole

3
method measurement with ISee! software is considered as a reference value and compared with
the rest of the results using a large hole.
Table 1. Comet MXR-225MF - 225kV Mesofocous
Target Power 50 W 130 W 200 W
Nominal Values FS #1 (5 µm) FS #2 (13 µm) FS #3 (20 µm)
Measurement Methods Focal spot sizes (µm)
Isee! / Pin hole (10 µm) / M-1=7 72 142 214
Kowospot / Pin hole (10 µm) / M-1=7 70 140 200
Large Hole (2mm) / Hamamatsu / M-1=7.2 59 165 284
NxS (1mm) / Hamamatsu / M-1=7.2 69 189 286
NxS (0.5mm) / Hamamatsu / M-1=5.5 58 190 260
NxS (1 mm) / Dexela / M-1=11.4 53 165 259
NxS (0.5mm) / Dexela / M-1=11.4 50 160 278
NxS (1 mm) / Dexela / M-1=25.2 49 151 229
NxS (0.5mm) / Dexela / M-1=25.2 47 146 229

hole size larger than requirement in standard - prEN 12543-7 (Hole size less than 15x of focal spot)
hole size smaller than requirement in standard - prEN 12543-7 (Hole size larger than 5x of focal spot)
CNR of reconstructed focal spot too low (See chapter ?)
hole size is according to standard - prEN 12543-7

The results show that usually as the magnification increases, the difference between the values
decreases, so taking the pinhole method as a reference method, showed that the measurements
become more accurate as the magnification increases. It was also observed that the difference
in focal spot size calculated for the smallest focal spot size (at 50 W) was in the range (-30% to
-35%) and for the larger focal spot size (at 130 W) was in the range from (6% to +16%), and
for the largest focal spot size (at 200 W) ranged from (+7% to +21%). The differences between
the values at variating diameters of the target hole were below the uncertainty (5%).

3.1.1 X-ray focal spot measurement for tube #2

The focal spots of the Comet MXC-450MF - MesoFocus 450 kV X-ray tube were measured,
and the obtained results are given in Table 2. This tube has the ability to select one of 5 different
focal spot sizes depending on the X-ray power. All five sizes were measured using the 5 power
settings of 50 W, 100 W, 250 W, 350 W, and 450 W. According to the requirements of
EN12543-2 and prEN12543-7 standards, 75% of the maximum tube voltage should be used for
all measurements (337 kV). But to investigate the influence of the voltage on the focal spot size
4 different voltages were used (100 kV, 200 kV, 337 kV, and 450 kV) were used. To measure
the focal spots of this tube, the KowoSpot pinhole camera with the 10 µm pinhole and the
Hamamatsu DDA were used as reference method. The obtained pinhole images were analyzed
using the Isee! software and the KowoSpot X software. The sizes of focal spots were calculated
using the ILP method and are given in Table 2. The broadening of the focal spot image using a
pinhole with a diameter of 10 µm on a 50 µm focal spot is only 2%, so it can be neglected here.

Figure 3 – Isee! Software (left) and KowoSpot software (right) for focal spot No.2 of the MXC 450 MF Power:
100 W, Magnification: 7, DDA: Hamamatsu, Voltage: 337kV)

4
Next, The NxS gauge was used as the target together with the Dexela DDA. All five focal spots
were evaluated by the NxS program based on the introduced method in the prEN 12543-7
standard. A set-up was used with unsharpness magnification (M-1) equal to 14. 4 different
voltages were used to measure each focal spot size (100 kV, 200 kV, 337 kV and 450 kV).

Figure 4 – NxS software for focal spot No.2 (Power: 100 W, Magnification: 14, Hole diameter: 1mm,
DDA: Dexela, Voltage: 337 kV), Resulting focal spot measurement: 118 µm.

Based on the obtained results and analysis it was shown that due to limitations to the X-ray
generator current (maximum 2mA), at a voltage of 100 kV for a power setting above 200W,
the focal spot is defocused (actual focal spot size of about 800 µm)! Also, the same thing
happens at a voltage of 200 kV and a selected power above 400 W. It seems that a bug in the
generator firmware was found for the 3 settings 100 kV and 250W, 350 W and 450W as well
as 200 kV and 450 W. Therefore, the user should not select any X-ray power that requires a
current high-er than 2 mA, even if the generator software allows this! The defocusing are
marked with orange color in Table 2.
Table 2. Comet MXC-450MF - MesoFocus 450kV
Target Power 50 W 100 W 250 W 350 W 450 W
Nominal Values FS #1 (63 µm) FS #2 (100 µm) FS #3 (250 µm) FS #4 (350 µm) FS #5 (450 µm)
Measurement Methods Focal Spot Sizes (µm)
Isee / 100 kV 70 110 810 810 810
Isee / 200 kV 70 100 230 310 600
Pin hole
method

Isee / 337 kV 80 110 210 340 450

Isee / 450 kV 90 120 220 350 440
Kowospot / 100 kV 70 110 750 750 750
Kowospot / 200 kV 70 100 210 310 570
Kowospot / 337 kV 80 110 210 320 440
Kowospot / 450 kV 80 120 210 320 440
NxS (0.25mm) / 100 kV / M-1=14 75 162 * * *
Large Hole Method

NxS (0.5mm) / 100 KV / M-1=14 73 129 * * *

NxS (1mm) / 100 kV / M-1=14 71 127 * * *
NxS (0.25mm) / 200 kV / M-1=14 65 123 * * *
NxS (0.5mm) / 200 kV / M-1=14 62 122 235 * *
NxS (1mm) / 200 kV / M-1=14 61 119 278 430 *
NxS (0.25mm) / 337 kV / M-1=14 63 113 * * *
NxS (0.5mm) / 337kV / M-1=14 60 122 258 * *
NxS (1mm) / 337 kV / M-1=14 59 118 261 420 614
NxS (0.25mm) / 450 kV / M-1=14 67 118 * * *
NxS (0.5mm) / 450 kV / M-1=14 67 120 257 * *
NxS (1mm) / 450 kV / M-1=14 64 118 258 438 655

hole size smaller than requirement in standard - prEN 12543-7 (Hole size less than 15x of focal spot)
hole size larger than requirement in standard - prEN 12543-7 (Hole size larger than 5x of focal spot)
hole size is according to standard - prEN 12543-7
Defocoused focal spot by current limitation (2mA)
* Can not measured by NxS software

5
According to prEN12543-7 standard requirements, the permissible range of gauge hole
diameter should be between 5 and 15 times AFS (green color in the table 2). In Table 2, the
hole diameters that are larger than the standard range are marked with a blue color, and hole
diameters that are smaller than the standard range are marked with a yellow color. If the CNR
in the image is too low, the NxS software is not able to calculate the X-ray focal spot size by
reconstruction procedure. These points are marked with * at Table.2. As exposure time always
1 min was selected, here a longer exposure time is required. To calculate the difference between
the measurement results of the X-ray focal spot size, the pinhole method of the EN 12543-2
standard was considered as reference values and compared with the results measured by the
Reconstruction method (standard prEN 12543-7). Additionally, to the requirements of the EN
12543-2 standard, that 75% of the maximum voltage of the tube should be used for
measurement (337 kV), also 100 kV, 200 kV and 450 kV were used. It was observed that the
difference in the calculated X-ray focal spot size for the first focal spot size (50 W) ranges from
(-6 to -26%) and for the second focal spot size (100 W) varies from (+7% to +17%). It ranged
from (+12% to +32%) for the size of the third focal point (250 W), and for the size of the fourth
focal point (350 W) in the range of (+24% to +29%), and for the fifth focal spot size (450 W)
ranged from (+36% to +45%). It should be noted that according to prEN 12543-7 regulations,
the target hole diameter for the last 3 tube settings is outside the acceptable range, so this can
play an important role in the dramatic increase of result.

3.1.1 X-ray focal spot measurement for tube #3

The focal spots of the MicroFocus 240 kV X-RAY WorX - XWT-240 THE X-ray tube were
measured, and the obtained results are given in Table 3.
This tube has the ability to set different X-ray voltages and different X-ray currents. This is the
opposite of the MesoFocus tubes, which allows only the selection of the X-ray voltage at some
fixed power settings (MXR-225MF: 20 to 225 kV and 50 W, 130 W and 250 W fixed; MXC-
450MF 100 kV to 450 kV and 50 W, 100W, 250 W, 350 W, and 450 W). Therefore, 6 different
power settings (5 W, 10 W, 15 W, 25 W, 50 W, and 80 W) of this MicroFocus X-ray tube were
measured. The software of the X-ray generator focused the electron beam accordingly, so
different focal spot sizes were obtained for each power setting and also for X-ray voltage.
According to the requirements of the prEN12543-7 standard draft, 75% of the maximum tube
voltage should be used for all measurements (150 kV). But in order to obtain the influence of
the X-ray voltage additionally on the focal spot size one voltage setting lower than the standard
voltage (60 kV) and another voltage setting higher than the standard voltage (200 kV) were
used. For the measurements of the focal spots of this tube, only the NxS Gauge and Dexela
DDA were used. The application of the pinhole camera is excluded here, because of the small
focal spot size of the MicroFocus X-ray tube. The maximum anticipated focal spot size of this
type of X-ray tube is 80 µm, based on regulations in EN12543-2 standard it is not possible to
measure the X-ray focal spot size with the pinhole method. Using the smallest pinhole of 10
µm only focal spot sizes above 50 µm can be measured. A spatial resolution of 5 µm as given
by the tube manufacturer cannot be measured by pinhole imaging. So, the only possible ways
of measurement are the methods given in new standard drafts prEN12543-6 [8] and
prEN12543-7. Here only the NxS gauge was used and the holes of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm diameter
of this target for magnified imaging. All six power settings were evaluated by the NxS program
based on the introduced method in the prEN12543-7 standard draft. For all measurements, a
set-up with unsharpness magnification of 107 was chosen and at 3 different voltages, the focal
spot sizes were measured (60 kV, 150 kV, and 200 kV). Unlike the other two X-ray tubes, the
focal spot sizes of this tube are smaller (the anticipated focal sport is 5 - 80 µm), so EN 12543-
2 with its pinhole cannot be applied. Therefore, the simple edge method of a large hole as
described in the standard draft prEN12543-4 (without the ILP-profile of EN 12543-2) is used

6
for comparison with focal spot reconstruction according to prEN12543-7. In prEN12543-4, the
blurring of the hole edge in the image is used and with the help of ISee! it is possible to calculate
the size of the focal spot using the ILP method as in EN12543-2. The focal spot sizes of this X-
ray tube are calculated by 2 methods as described in prEN12543-4 and prEN12543-7. For the
calculation based on the draft of part 4 of the standard, for each focal spot 2 different profiles
were measured horizontally and vertically, and the higher value is considered as the size of the
focal spot. For measurements based on the draft of part 7, the methods as described for the
MesoFocus tubes already was used. Finally, all results for this MicroFocus X-ray tube are
summarized in Table 3. In all measurements, the Dexla DDA was used to aquire images. The
distances in the system set-up were selected to place the NxS gauge as near as possible to the
X-ray tube window. By measuring the resulting distances, a magnification of 107 was
calculated. The NxS gauge was fixed vertically in front of the X-ray tube window with about a
2mm distance between the X-ray tube and the NxS carrier. An analysis of the resulting focal
spot sizes at 60 kV for exerting power of more than 10W showed, that also with this X-ray tube
the focal spot is defocused, resulting in larger focal spot sizes as expected from the X-ray power
setting. The reconstructed focal spot image is very noisy caused by a too low CNR in the
acquired image of 30s exposure time. According to prEN12543-7, the gauge hole diameter
should be between 5 and 15 times AFS (green colour in the table 3). In Table 3, the hole
diameters that are larger than the standard range are marked with a blue colour, and hole
diameters that are smaller than the standard range are marked with a yellow colour. Based on
the obtained results and analysis, it was shown that due to limitations to the X-ray generator
tube current (maximum 1 mA) at a voltage of 60 kV a maximum power of 60 W can be used.
W=A*V
W (at max point) = 1 mA (limited by X-ray generator) * 60 kV = 60 W
All obtained results are given in Table 3. As described earlier in this section, due to the small
size of the X-ray focal spot for this tube, it is not allowed to use the methods by the standard
EN 12543-2 for this purpose. In order to consider a reference against the reconstruction method,
the standard EN 12543-4 is used as the reference (left side of Table.3). These measurements
were compared with the results by the method of standard prEN 12543-7 (right side of Table
3). The results obviously showed that all focal spot sizes calculated by the reconstruction
method are smaller than the profile measurements using the edge unsharpness in the identical
images. The largest differences at lower energies can reach 940%. But as much as the energy
increases, this difference will be decreased. The reason behind this matter is the focal spot shape
generated by the MicroFocus tube, it has a sharp centre part and a broad foot. Using the edge
profile and the 16%-84% method, the focal spot is measured as 49 µm. Using the first derivative
of the shown profile in the same image, the focal spot is measured as 5 µm; both parts differ by
a factor of 9!

Figure 5 – Focal spot evaluation by ISee! Software for the X-ray tube XWT-240 THE (Power: 25 W,
Magnification: 107, Hole Diameter: 0.5mm, DDA: Dexela, Voltage: 240 kV), the resulting focal spot
measurement from edge unsharpness: 49 µm

7
The reconstruction method uses a first derivative too as the first step of reconstruction and
measures therefore the focal spot size similar to Fig.6.

Figure 6 – Focal spot evaluation by ISee! Software for the X-ray tube XWT-240 THE, the sharp linear portion of
profile (left), and 1st derivative of line profile (right)
(Power: 25 W, Magnification: 107, Hole Diameter: 0.5mm, DDA: Dexela, Voltage: 240 kV), the resulting width
(FWHM) of the first derivative: 5 µm

Consequently, it was found that for the MicoFocus X-ray tube using the edge unsharpness
method of the standard EN 12543-4 will give more realistic focal spot size results than
prEN12543-7.

Table 3. Focal spot measurements result for MicroFocus 240 kV X-RAY WorX - XWT-
240
Target Power Target Power
5 10 15 25 50 80 5 10 15 25 50 80
(Watt) (Watt)
Measeurement Method Measeurement Method
ILP on hole edge (EN 12543- Focal Spot size (µm) focal spot reconstruction (EN Focal Spot size (µm)
4) 12543-7)
Isee! (0.1mm)/60 kV 40 42 36 24 18 NxS (0.1mm)/60 kV 28 37 27 18 16
Isee! (0.25mm)/60 kV 36 42 36 25 18 NxS (0.25mm)/60 kV 27 33 26 18 16
Isee! (0.5mm)/60 kV 38 44 37 25 18 NxS (0.5mm)/60 kV 27 33 27 18 16
Isee! (0.1mm)/150 kV 26 29 29 29 26 25 NxS (0.1mm)/150 kV 16 18 17 14 8 24
Isee! (0.25mm)/150 kV 28 30 31 32 29 26 NxS (0.25mm)/150 kV 16 19 18 13 8 24
Isee! (0.5mm)/150 kV 29 31 32 33 31 27 NxS (0.5mm)/150 kV 17 17 20 14 8 25
Isee! (0.1mm)/240 kV 15 16 15 13 21 37 NxS (0.1mm)/240 kV 5 5 5 5 20 40
Isee! (0.25mm)/240 kV 50 37 41 41 30 39 NxS (0.25mm)/240 kV 5 5 5 5 20 37
Isee! (0.5mm)/240 kV 53 52 50 49 32 41 NxS (0.5mm)/240 kV 5 5 5 5 19 37
hole size smaller than requirement in standard prEN 12543-7 (Hole size less than 15x of focal spot)
hole size larger than requirement in standard prEN 12543-7 (Hole size larger than 5x of focal spot)
hole size according to standard prEN 12543-7
16, 18 Target Power: 40 W - Due to focusing problem of X-ray tube
Not achievable caused by current limitation (1 mA)

3.2 Magnification Measurements

The correct magnification value of the pinhole set-up is the most critical error source for focal
spot size measurements. It was measured by the geometrical distances and calculated
independently by the NxS software from the hole diameter in the image and the given pixel
size. The obtained results are given in Table 4, 5 & 6. All measurements were done at 75% of
the maximum voltage. The gauge hole diameter was between 5 and 15 times the anticipated
focal spot size AFS. The values outside of this range are marked in yellow colour in this table
as well. And finally, all acceptable values are marked with green colored.

3.3 Uncertainty
The focal spot size d according to the ILP method as investigated here is calculated according
to the following formula, which is not given in the standards:

8
 d = 1.47 *(P1 - P2) * p/(M-1) = 1,47 ΔP *p/(M-1)
with p – pixel size, P1, P2 the 14% and 86% points on the ILP profile. The factor of 1,47 to
expand the 14%- and 86%-point difference to a 0% and 100% line.
The pixel size p of the detector is not assumed to differ from its specified value, so it does not
contribute to the uncertainty of this measurement. Therefore, the uncertainty consists of 2
independent contributions: the measurement error in the profile positions of the points P1 and
P2 (1/1.47ΔP) and the measurement error in the magnification M (ΔM/M). because the above
formula on the calculation of d is linear, both contributions simply add quadratically. Therefore,
the final uncertainty of the focal spot measurement is given by:
Δd/d = [(ΔM/M)2 + 1/(1.47*ΔP)2]1/2
From Tables 4 to 6 we estimated the measurement uncertainty of the magnification M with
about 2%. The evaluated ILP profiles on the Dexela detector with 75 µm and a Magnification
(M-1) = 14 for a focal spot of 130 µm give a ΔP of min. 24 pixels. Therefore, the final
uncertainty for the focal spot size d is:
Δd/d = [(0.02)2 + 1/(1.47*24)2]1/2 = 0,0347 = 3.5%
For smaller focal spots than 130 µm, the uncertainty increases, because the number of pixels
across the ILP profile is lower. Finally, an overall value of 5% for the total uncertainty of the
focal spot measurements was considered in the graphs shown before.

4. Conclusions
The aim of this master thesis was to compare the focal spot measurement methods of the
standard EN12543-2 (pinhole method) and the standard draft prEN12543-7 (large hole method)
on identical focal spots in the range from 5 µm to 500 µm focal spot size. The results can be
summarized as follows:
1. The pinhole camera measurement method according to EN12543-2 was successfully
applied using the KowoSpot X pinhole camera with a 10 µm pinhole in a focal spot range
between 60 µm to 430 µm and an X-ray voltage range between 60 kV and 450 kV. Using
this camera and the MesoFocus 450 kV X-ray tube, a defocused X-ray focus was detected
for a power higher than 200W at 100kV (minimal voltage of this tube) and for >400W at
200 kV. This is a side effect of the current limit of max. 2 mA of the generator. The
generator firmware does not handle this limit correctly, and as a consequence a defocused
focal spot with a larger size result in these settings. For correct measurement of focal spot
sizes below 100 µm it is important to use the 10 µm pinhole and a sufficient magnification.
Previous measurements with (M-1) =3 were not acceptable (the uncertainty was too high)
the measurements described here with (M-1)=7 (20 µm pixel size, 50 µm focal spot) had
an uncertainty of 4,5% using this 10 µm pinhole. Focal spot measurements up to 450 kV
were possible without problems and the values obtained were used for comparison with the
results of the hole measurements according to prEN 12543-7.
2. The NxS gauge (with its 9-micron thick gold layer on 200-micron thick silicon) was
working with sufficient contrast in the range of voltages between 60 kV to 450 kV.
3. Based on the results of MesoFocus tubes #1 and #2, it was found that the maximum
differences of focal spot sizes between both methods (pinhole or large hole) were in the
range of -25% up to +36%. Up to 0.5 mm, the focal spot calculation with the method
introduced in standard draft prEN12543-7 is a suitable and reliable alternative to the focal
spot measurement using pinholes according to EN12543-2. The 10 µm pinhole can be used
with an uncertainty better than 5% for focal spot sizes above 50 µm.
4. For both methods it was found, that the higher the magnification, the lower are the
difference of results between these two methods. To measure the focal spot by the standard
method in prEN12543-7, it is better to use the maximum possible magnification according

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 to the limitations of the X-ray tube and DDA. However this requires longer exposure times
for sufficient CNR.
5. The acquisition of large hole images with the MicroFocus X-ray tube (no pinhole imaging
was possible here) provides a set of images for several power settings. These images were
evaluated by the profile edge unsharpness method of prEN12543-4 and the focal spot
reconstruction according to prEN12543-7. Here both methods result in large differences
up to factor 10, caused by the different processing of the long-range focal spot contributions
of this X-ray tube. Whereas the edge unsharpness method of prEN12543-4 considers also
the long-range focal spot contribution, the first derivate of the focal spot reconstruction
according to prEN12543-7 reduces this long-range contribution below the noise level.
Therefore, this contribution is not reconstructed and followingly the focal spot size is much
lower than measured by the profile edge unsharpness method.

Statement

The presented work is based on the Master thesis / PhD of Seyedreza Hashemi entitled
“Measurement of focal spots of X-ray tubes using a CT reconstruction approach on edge
images of holes with a diameter larger than the focal spot and comparison to classical pinhole
imaging”, which was submitted at Dresden International University in October 2023.

References

[1] Journal of Applied Physics 132, 100901:2022.

[2] The Evolution of X-Ray Technology and Beginnings of NDT, American Institute of non-destructive testing:
May 13, 2021
[3] prEN 12543-4: 2022, Non-destructive testing — Characteristics of focal spots in industrial X-ray systems for
use in non-destructive testing — Part 4: Edge method with hole type gauges: 2022
[4] New standards for X-ray tube focal spot sizes at the nano- and micrometre scale, Gerd-Rüdiger
Jaenisch:2022
[5] New Concepts for the Measurement of Focal Spot Parameters of Nano- and Micro-focus X-Ray Tubes, Uwe
EWERT, Gerd-Rüdiger JAENISCH, Andreas DERESCH, Benjamin A. BIRCHER, Felix MELI, International
Symposium on Digital Industrial Radiology and Computed Tomography – DIR: 2019
[6] EN 12543-2:2021, Non-destructive testing – Characteristics of focal spots in industrial X-ray systems for use
in non-destructive testing - Part 2, Pinhole camera radiographic method: 2021
[7] prEN 12543-7: 2022, Non-destructive testing — Characteristics of focal spots in industrial X-ray systems for
use in non-destructive testing — Part 7: Focal spot reconstruction technique
[8] prEN 12543-6:2021, Non-destructive testing - Characteristics of focal spots in industrial X-ray systems for
use in non-destructive testing - Part 6: Measurement of the effective focal spot size of micro and nano focus X-
ray tubes with spot sizes < 20 µm: 2021.

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