Summary: | An ionization vacuum gauge with carbon nanotube (CNT) cathode was designed for measurement of ultra high vacuum (UHV). The sensor was constructed based on Bayard-Alpert type gauge. The key index of the control unit is determined by theoretical analysis and experimental results. A customized detection circuit was designed considering the characteristics of the output ion current of the sensor, the performance of which, such as linearity, noise, bandwidth and gain, were determined by a series of tests and calibrations. At last, the vacuum measurement range and uncertainty of this gauge were determined. The test results showed that the lower limit of the CNT-cathode ionization vacuum gauge enters 10-8Pa, The measurement uncertainty is about 4.0% in the pressure range of 10-4Pa-10-7Pa. This work can provide a new solution for UHV measurement.
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