The properties of X-ray source based on Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 crystals (SBN-61) having a large pyroelectric coefficient γ = 85 nC/(cm2K) was studied. When the crystal was heated to 60 ° C, X-rays from a tungsten target with energy of 8.4 keV were detected. The maximum energy of the electron beam was 52 keV. The visualization of the electron beam with a grid electrode and a fluorescent screen showed that the electron beam was inhomogeneous in the polar plane of the crystal and varied during heating.The radiation intensity was unstable in time. The work of the X-ray source was limited to electrical breakdowns between the polar faces of the crystal. When the crystal was cooled, there was no X-ray emission, which could be due to the depolarization of the crystal by the total electric field or as a result of electrical breakdowns. The crystals SBN-61 and LiNbO3 are compared.

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In an X-ray generator based on a ferroelectric crystal of barium-strontium niobate Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 (SBN-61) at a temperature of about 50oC, pulsations of the electron flux and X-ray radiation were detected with an increase in gas pressure in the range 2·10-2-10-1 Torr. The electron flux had the shape of a cross in the crystal plane. The flash duration did not exceed 0.04 seconds. The pulsation period varied from 0.2 seconds at the beginning and up to 5-10 s at the end at a pressure of ~0.1 Torr. The observed effect is explained by the movement of domain boundaries on the depolarized crystal face in vacuum conditions, resulting in a large surface charge and, accordingly, an electric potential, leading to the formation of a pulsed electron flux. Keywords: X-ray radiation, electron flux, SBN-61 crystal, ferroelectric domains.