According to one aspect of the invention a robust anode structure and methods of making and using said structure to produce ionizing radiation are disclosed. An ionizing radiation producing layer is bonded to the target side of a highly conductive diamond substrate, by a metal carbide layer. The metal carbide layers improves the strength and durability of the bond, thus improving heat removal from the anode surface and reducing the risk of delaminating the ionizing radiation producing layer, thus reducing degradation and extending the anode's life. A smoothing dopant is alloyed into the radiation producing layer to facilitate keeping the layer surface smooth, thus improving the quality of the x-ray beam emitted from the anode. In an embodiment, the heat sink comprises a metal carbide skeleton cemented diamond material. In another embodiment, the heat sink is bonded to the diamond substrate structure in a high temperature reactive brazing process.