X-Ray generator target

A target for an X-ray generator includes an electrically conductive holder 120 having an opening. A diamond plate 110 is air-tightly joined to the holder closing the opening. A thin film target 111 on a surface of the diamond plate has its outer peripheral part 111a extending to the holder, to be electrically connected to it. The holder is electrically connected to an X-ray generator power supply and the diamond plate is incorporated into the X-ray generator with the thin film target side in a vacuum atmosphere and the opposite side in thermal contact with a refrigerant and cooled. The diamond plate material can have a crystallographic space group Fd3m. The thin film target material can be an electrically conductive metal such as Al, Cr, Co, Fe, Ni, Mo, W, Ag, Au, Rh, Sm or La; be between 5 to 10 microns thick and have a base coat of Cr, Ti, V, W or Mo, between 1 and 40nm thick. The coolant side can have a base coat and a corrosion resistant film of Au or Cr. The plate can be a disc or elliptical and of diameter 2mm to 25 mm and thickness 0.3 to 1.5 mm. The holder can be cylindrical and be deformable to allow for differences in thermal expansion.