Inverted-magnetron cold-cathode gauge in hybrid-discharge mode

Journal Article · Thu Mar 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.2464122· OSTI ID:20979386

Huiyong, Mao; Yi, Wang ^[1]

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1. School of Electrical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 100044 Beijing (China)

In high-vacuum measurement, cold-cathode ionization gauges have been widely used due to their unique advantages such as being simple and robust, low outgassing, x-ray effects, and so on. But during the measuring process, they show that a considerable pump effect, contamination buildup, and the heating and sputtering of the electrode surface from discharge can also become a serious problem at higher measured pressures. In such circumstances, pulsed operation is a good solution. However, the lowest measurable pressure of cold-cathode ionization gauges in pulsed operation is hard to extend, which limits its application. But if the measurable range of the cold-cathode gauge is divided into two regions, the low-pressure region where it is operated in dc discharge mode to ensure its lowest measurable pressure and the high-pressure region where it is operated in pulsed-discharge mode to reduce its above disadvantages at high pressures, the problem can be well solved. This article describes a pulsed high-voltage generating circuit controlled by a single-chip CPU to perform such a hybrid discharge in an inverted-magnetron gauge. With this circuit, the following problems of an inverted-magnetron gauge were investigated: the difference between pulsed-discharged mode and dc discharge mode, one method of extending the low measurable pressure limit in pulsed-discharge mode, the volt-current characteristics at different pressures, and constant-current pulsed-discharge measurement at pressures above 2x10{sup -2} Pa.

• OSTI ID: 20979386
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Journal Name: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 25; ISSN 1553-1813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CATHODES
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
HEATING
HYBRIDIZATION
IONIZATION
IONIZATION GAGES
MAGNETRONS
PRESSURE RANGE MEGA PA 10-100
SPUTTERING
SURFACES