A diagnostic technique for evaluation of cathode emission performance and defects in vehicle assembly

A method for presenting cathode emission data has been developed which yields cathode performance curves in a convenient form for the cathode engineer, design engineer, and end user. The curves provide important diagnostic information not previously available which characterizes cathode emission performance over the entire range of operation and indicates defects in device fabrication. Direct comparisons of measurements on cathodes of various size and vehicle configuration are possible due to the normalized form of the performance curves. Construction of the curves and their interpretation are discussed.