Surface Characterization at CERN of Photocathodes for Photoinjector Applications

R&D; on photocathodes takes place at CERN within the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) project. Photocathodes are produced as thin films on Oxygen Free copper substrate using a co-deposition technique, and characterized in a dedicated laboratory with a DC photo-electron gun. A new UHV carrier vessel compatible with CERN’s XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) analysis equipment has been commissioned and is used to transport photocathodes from the production laboratory to perform a systematic study of different compounds used as photoemissive materials. In this paper photocathodes used in a RF photoinjector will be characterized and the correlation of their surface properties with their performance will be investigated.