Gauges for ultrahigh vacuum

AUG 01, 1972

Modifications of the early triode ionization gauge have greatly extended its low‐pressure limit and have also increased the complexity of operation and interpretation.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3070960

W. J. Lange

The basis for essentially all gauges used for total or partial‐pressure measurement in ultrahigh vacuum is the ionization produced by electrons traversing the space between two electrodes. The ratio of ion current to ionizing current is measured and assumed to be proportional to the gas density or pressure. This principle has been used for over fifty years, spurred and nurtured by the vacuum‐tube industry, so it was natural that early gauges resembled simple triode receiving tubes (see figure 1 on the facing page).

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More about the authors

W. J. Lange, Vacuum Laboratory, Westinghouse Research and Development Center, Pittsburgh.