Development and operational performance of multi-alkali antimonide photocathodes

Multi-alkali antimonide photocathodes, particularly potassium–cesium-antimonide, have gained prominence as photoemissive materials for electron sources in high-repetition-rate FEL applications due to their properties, such as low thermal emittance and high sensitivity in the green wavelength. To explore the potential of these materials in high-gradient RF guns, a collaborative effort was undertaken between DESY PITZ and INFN-LASA to develop and study multi-alkali photocathode materials. A batch of three KCsSb photocathodes and one NaKSb(Cs) photocathode was grown on molybdenum substrates using a sequential deposition method in the new preparation system at INFN LASA. These cathodes were successfully transferred and tested in the high-gradient RF gun at PITZ. Following the tests, a post-operational optical study was conducted on all the cathodes. Based on these findings, efforts are underway to optimize the fabrication recipes for KCsSb and NaKSb(Cs) photocathodes to achieve lower field emission and longer lifetimes. This contribution summarizes the experimental results of the production, operational performance, and post-usage analysis of the current batch of cathodes.