MEMS capacitance diaphragm gauge with a full range of (1∼1000) Pa is considered for its wide application prospect. The design of pressure-sensing diaphragm is the key to achieve balanced performance for this kind of gauges. The optimization process of the pressure-sensing diaphragm with island design of a capacitance diaphragm gauge based on MEMS technique has been reported in this work. For micro-components in micro scale range, mechanical properties are very different from that in the macro scale range, so the size effect should not be ignored. The modified strain gradient elasticity theory considering size effect has been applied to determine the bending rigidity of the pressure-sensing diaphragm, which is then used in the numerical model to calculate the deflection-pressure relation of the diaphragm. According to the deflection curves, capacitance variation can be determined by integrating over the radius of the diaphragm. At last, the design of the diaphragm has been optimized based on three parameters: sensitivity, linearity and ground capacitance. With this design, a full range of (1∼1000) Pa can be achieved, meanwhile, balanced sensitivity, resolution and linearity can be kept.

Low energy ion measurements in the vicinity of a comet have provided us with important information about the planet’s evolution. The calibration of instruments for thermal ions in the laboratory plays a crucial role when analysing data from in-situ measurements in space. A new low energy ion source based on carbon nanotube electron emitters was developed for calibrating the ion-mode of mass spectrometers or other ion detectors. The electron field emission (FE) properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for H₂, He, Ar, O₂, and CO₂ gases were tested in the experiments. H₂, He, Ar, and CO₂ adsorbates could change the FE temporarily at pressures from10⁻⁶ Pa to10⁻⁴ Pa. The FE of CNT remains stable in Ar and increases in H₂, but degrades in He, O₂, and CO₂. All gas adsorbates lead to temporary degradation after working for prolonged periods. The ion current of the ion source is measured by using a Faraday cup and the sensitivity is derived from this measurement. The ion currents for the different gases were around 10 pA (corresponding to 200 ions/cm³ s) and an energy of ~28 eV could be observed.

The field emission properties and the vacuum measurement application are investigated from the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) grown directly on catalytic stainless steel substrates. The MWNT emitters present excellent emission properties after the acid treatment of the substrate. The MWNT gauge is able to work down to the extreme-high vacuum (XHV) range with linear measurement performance in wide range from 10−11 to 10−6 Torr. A modulating grid is attempted with improved gauge sensitivity. The extension of the lower pressure limit is attributed largely to low outgassing effect due to direct growth of MWNTs and justified design of the electron source.

In this study, a cylindrical triode ultrahigh vacuum ionization gauge with a screen-printed carbon nanotube (CNT) electron source was developed, and its metrological performance in different gases was systematically investigated using an ultrahigh vacuum system. The resulting ionization gauge with a CNT cathode responded linearly to nitrogen, argon, and air pressures in the range from ~4.0 ± 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 6 × 10⁻⁴ Pa, which is the first reported CNT emitter-based ionization gauge whose lower limit of pressure measurement is lower than its hot cathode counterpart. In addition, the sensitivities of this novel gauge were ~0.05 Pa⁻¹ for nitrogen, ~0.06 Pa⁻¹ for argon, and ~0.04 Pa⁻¹ for air, respectively. The trend of sensitivity with anode voltage, obtained by the experimental method, was roughly consistent with that gained through theoretical simulation. The advantages of the present sensor (including low power consumption for electron emissions, invisible to infrared light radiation and thermal radiation, high stability, etc.) mean that it has potential applications in space exploration.