Kimball Physics Electron and Ion Guns, Cathodes
Kimball Physics is a US maker of ultra-high vacuum electron and ion optics since 1969: electron guns up to 100 keV, ion guns, LaB6 and disc cathodes, beam detectors.
ELG-2 and EGL-2022 low energy electron guns
ELG-2 with the EGPS-1022 power supply delivers 1 eV to 2 keV beams at 1 nA to 10 µA with a 0.5–5 mm spot. EGL-2022 covers 50 eV to 5 keV at up to 100 µA. A zoom lens keeps the beam current constant while the energy changes. Both guns serve surface physics and charge neutralization.
- ELG-2 energy 1 eV–2 keV
- ELG-2 current up to 10 µA
- EGL-2022 energy up to 5 keV
- EGL-2022 bakeable to 350 °C
EGG-3101 and EMG-4212 medium energy electron guns
EGG-3101 with the EGPS-3101 supply runs from 100 eV to 10 keV, EMG-4212 with the EGPS-4212 supply from 1 to 30 keV. With a lanthanum hexaboride cathode the spot shrinks to 60 and 100 µm, and the high current option gives up to 1 mA. Firing units are user-replaceable.
- EGG-3101 energy up to 10 keV
- EMG-4212 energy up to 30 keV
- EGG-3101 spot from 60 µm
- Beam current up to 1 mA
EGH-6210 and EGH-8201 high energy electron guns
EGH-6210 with a lanthanum hexaboride cathode runs from 1 to 60 keV at 10 µA to 5 mA with a spot from 50 µm. EGH-8201 with a disc cathode covers 10 to 100 keV at up to 1 mA and up to 20 mA pulsed, with a 1–100 mm spot. Focusing uses a magnetic lens.
- EGH-6210 energy up to 60 keV
- EGH-6210 spot from 50 µm
- EGH-8201 energy up to 100 keV
- Pulsed current up to 20 mA
ES-423E, ES-462 and ES-423GR lanthanum hexaboride cathodes
Single crystal LaB6 cathodes for scanning and transmission microscopes, lithography and X-ray sources. ES-423E runs over 6 months continuously in microscopes. The pincer mount ES-462 withstands over 10,000 temperature cycles. ES-423GR has a guard ring and a 10–250 µm emitter.
- ES-423E life over 6 months
- Current density 15 A/cm²
- ES-462: 10,000 cycles
- ES-423GR emitter 10–250 µm
Tantalum, barium oxide and yttria coated iridium disc cathodes
Tantalum ES-042, ES-044 and ES-046 are general purpose disc cathodes. Barium oxide coated ES-015, ES-064 and ES-066 operate at low temperature with emission up to 3 mA. Yttria coated iridium ES-526, ES-529 and ES-535 resist oxidation and give disc emission up to 10 mA.
- Three disc sizes
- Barium oxide: up to 3 mA
- Yttria coated: up to 10 mA
- AEI and CB-104 bases
IMG-4212, ILG-6 and IGS-4 ion guns and beam detectors
Ion guns with alkali metal ion sources: IMG-4212 from 1 to 20 keV, ILG-6 from 10 eV to 1 keV, IGS-4 from 50 eV to 5 keV, with beam currents from 1 nA to 2 µA. The beam is monitored by Faraday cups and phosphor screens bakeable to 350 °C.
- Ion energy 10 eV–20 keV
- Beam current 1 nA–2 µA
- Spot 500 µm–25 mm
- Screens bakeable to 350 °C
Selecting a Kimball Physics electron gun
A gun is chosen by beam energy, current and spot size. The systems cover energies from 1 eV to 100 keV, currents from 1 nA to 20 mA and spots from 15 µm to over 500 mm.
Low energies up to 5 keV come from ELG-2 and EGL-2022, medium energies up to 30 keV from EGG-3101 and EMG-4212, high energies up to 100 keV from EGH-6210 and EGH-8201.
A small spot needs a lanthanum hexaboride cathode: down to 60 µm on EGG-3101 and 50 µm on EGH-6210. Each gun ships with a matching EGPS power supply as a complete subsystem ready to attach to a vacuum system; firing units are user-replaceable.
Cathodes and ion guns
LaB6 cathodes ES-423E, ES-462 and ES-423GR are electron sources for scanning and transmission electron microscopes, lithography and X-ray sources. Disc cathodes are made of tantalum, barium oxide coated discs and yttria coated iridium, on AEI and CB-104 bases.
IMG-4212, ILG-6 and IGS-4 ion guns with alkali metal ion sources operate from 10 eV to 20 keV at 1 nA to 2 µA. Faraday cups and phosphor screens monitor the beam.
Kimball Physics manufacturing
Kimball Physics was founded in 1969 in Wilton, New Hampshire, USA, by Charles Kimball Crawford, who left an MIT professorship. The company builds electron and ion optics for ultra-high vacuum, cathodes, detectors and vacuum hardware.
Vacuum chambers are machined from a single piece of 316L stainless steel, and the eV Parts toolkit includes over 350 standardized parts. Products serve electron microscopes, semiconductor equipment, accelerators and space hardware.
Kimball Physics and model names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify the equipment for which we source parts. SpareX is not an official dealer, distributor or representative of Kimball Physics and is not affiliated with the trademark owner. Origin, documents and warranty are stated for each item in the quotation.
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Documents and sources
- Kimball Physics website — home page
- Company — scope and facilities
- Company founder — history since 1969
- Electron gun systems — range and specifications
- ELG-2 / EGPS-1022 — specifications
- EGL-2022 / EGPS-2022 — specifications
- EGG-3101 / EGPS-3101 — specifications
- EMG-4212 / EGPS-4212 — specifications
- EGH-6210 / EGPS-6210 — specifications
- EGH-8201 / EGPS-8201 — specifications
- EGG-3103 datasheet — firing unit and power supply
- General troubleshooting — manual section
- Ion gun systems — range and specifications
- IMG-4212 / IGPS-3212 — specifications
- ILG-6 / IGPS-1016 — specifications
- IGS-4 / IGPS-2014 — specifications
- Detectors — Faraday cups and phosphor screens
- UHV phosphor screens — specifications
- Cathodes and emitters — overview
- ES-423E LaB6 cathodes — specifications
- ES-462 pincer mount cathode — specifications
- ES-423GR guard ring cathode — specifications
- LaB6 cathodes for electron microscopes — bases
- Barium oxide disc cathodes — specifications
- Tantalum disc cathodes — specifications
- Yttria coated iridium disc cathodes — specifications
- Vacuum chambers — design and materials
- eV Parts — modular components
