Development of an CNT field emission UHV ionization gauge with customized electronics

• Main Authors: Jian Sun, Detian Li, Yongjun Cheng, Huzhong Zhang, Yongjun Wang, Gang Li, Xiaodong Han
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIP Publishing LLC 2018-10-01
• Series: AIP Advances
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5052304

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.