An ionization gauge in which a high voltage and a permanent magnet sustain a Penning or inverted magnetron discharge, whose current tracks pressure from about 10⁻² down to 10⁻⁹ mbar or lower. With no hot filament it survives venting and dirty processes, which is why it is common on production tools. At very low pressure the discharge can be slow to ignite, and contamination of the electrodes shifts the calibration.
Cold cathode on the analysis chamber can take minutes to strike down in the E-10s, don't panic when it reads nothing at first.
Also heard as
- Penning gauge
- inverted magnetron gauge
- IMG
- CCG
Related terms
Ionization gauge
Gauge that reads high and ultra-high vacuum by ionizing gas molecules and measuring the resulting ion current.
Bayard-Alpert gauge
Hot cathode ionization gauge with a fine central collector wire, the standard gauge for high and ultra-high vacuum.
Ion pump
Capture pump that ionizes gas in a high-voltage magnetic discharge and buries the ions in titanium.