Technology to Establish a Factory for High QE Alkali Antimonide Photocathodes

Photoinjectors are used at the majority of high-brightness electron linacs today, due to their efficiency, timing structure flexibility and ability to produce high power, high brightness beams. Photocathodes for these sources are not available through industry and facilities around the world are required to expend significant manpower and money to achieve a workable, albeit often non-ideal, compromise photocathode solution. General statement of how this problem is being addressed: AES, in collaboration with Cornell University, proposes to develop an on-demand growth and centralized delivery system for high-brightness photocathodes focused upon the alkali antimonide photoemitters. What is to be done in Phase I. Phase I will be a detailed technology transfer of the facility design that is presently at Cornell. AES design a cathode factory and include new developments from Cornell. Cornell will oversee the technology transfer and will add computer automation to the procedure. At the end of Phase I we will have a complete cost of the facility and an estimate of the cost for a unit cathode and transfer suitcase. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Novel light sources such as Free Electron Lasers and Energy Recovery Linacs that promise to deliver unprecedented quality x-ray beams. Other applications for high-intensity electron beams in high-energy physics, nuclear physics and energy sciences i.e. electron-hadron collider at CERN (LHeC), and beam coolers for hadron beams at LHC and eRHIC. Reliable, low cost photocathode driven RF gun systems could become ready replacements for the diode and triode guns used on medical accelerators. Key Words: Photocathode, Facility, High Current, Quality electron beam Summary for Members of Congress: AES and Cornell propose a technology transfer to develop an industrial photocathode facility. This facility will be the most economical and reliable way to produce photocathodes for laboratories and possibly medical accelerators that require the highest quality electron beam.