A saddle-field gauge with carbon nanotube field emitters

A saddle-field ionization vacuum gauge with a carbon nanotube field emission cathode is described in this paper, and its primary results are reported. The gauge's cathode was prepared by adhering the as-grown carbon nanotube array to one end of a nickel rod. This nanotube-cathode saddle-field gauge has the advantages of small electrode sizes, high sensitivity and low power consumption. The dependences of the sensitivity factor of the gauge on electrical parameters were measured. A gauge sensitivity factor of 1.7 Pa− 1 under an anode current of 3 μA was achieved for air. The power consumption of the gauge was less than 8 mW.