New deflected-beam gauge for pressures below 10−12 Torr

A new ionization gauge for measurement of total gas pressures between 10/sup -12/ torr and 10/sup -14/ torr is described. The gauge's main features are a pair of collimating slots below the grid structure, two concentric hemi-spherical deflecting electrodes and a channel electron multiplier which detects low-energy ions passing through the deflector system. The detection of low-energy ions allows discrimination against desorbed ions (which are more energetic), while spurious signals due to X-rays may also be rejected. The channel electron multiplier leads to gauge sensitivities which are much higher than those of ordinary ionization gauges. The gauge has been tested down to 4*10/sup -13/ torr and found to have sensitivities of 1.5*10/sup 17/ and 8*10/sup 16 / counts/s.A.torr for N/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/ respectively. For a channel electron multiplier gain of 10/sup 7/ the gauge sensitivity is thus approximately=10/sup 5//torr. (17 refs)