Performance Study of K2CsSb Photocathode inside a DC High Voltage Gun

In the past decade, there has been considerable interest in the generation of tens of mA average current in a photoinjector. Until recently, GaAs:Cs cathodes and K2CsSb cathodes have been tested successfully in DC and RF injectors respectively for this application. Our goal is to test the GaAs:Cs in RF injector and the K2CsSb cathode in the DC gun in order to widen our choices. Since the multialkali cathode is a compound with uniform stochiometry over its entire thickness, we anticipate that the life time issues seen in GaAs:Cs due surface damage by ion bombardment would be minimized with this material. Hence successful operation of the K2CsSb cathode in DC gun could lead to a relatively robust electron source capable of delivering ampere level currents. In order to test the performance of K2CsSb cathode in a DC gun, we have designed and built a load lock system that would allow the fabrication of the cathode at BNL and its testing at JLab. In this paper, we will present the design of the load-lock system, cathode fabrication, and the cathode performance in the preparation chamber and in the DC gun.