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ELBE is a compact, accelerator-driven photon and particle source. The variety of secondary radiation being offered extends from high-energy gamma rays to infrared and THz radiation as well as from neutrons to positrons and electrons. Since 2001 ELBE is operated as a user facility, providing more than 5500 hours of beamtime with an efficiency of more than 90% each year. The electron accelerator is based on four superconducting 9-cell TESLA cavities that are driven in CW operation to accelerate an average current of 1 mA up to beam energies of 40 MeV. In addition an upgraded version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) photoinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017, so that now more than 1800h of user beam are generated by this unique CW electron source every year. The talk will summarize our experiences of operating all our SRF cavities over two decades in CW. In detail, this includes the cavity performance and attempts to improve it, as well as investigations on their limitations. Additionally, we will discuss several issues that are related to the high average RF as well as beam power and we will present appropriate measures to protect the machine. In this regard we will also introduce a resonant ring for RF component tests at CW power levels up to 100 kW. Regarding the SRF gun, the main emphasis lies in seamlessly integrating a normal-conducting photocathode into the SRF cavity, alongside addressing associated intricacies like dark current, multipacting, and contamination of the resonator.

In the high gradient rf photoinjectors, dark current is the “unwanted beam” not produced by the cathode drive laser. It is a part of field emission from the cavity and photocathode, which is accelerated through the gun. Dark current can cause beam loss, increase the risk of damage to accelerator components, and create additional background for beam users. Furthermore, during operation of the ELBE srf gun, the dark current has been found to correlate with the photocathode QE and life time. Therefore, understanding the sources as well as the dynamics of dark current is crucial to machine safety and gun quality. In this paper we present our experimental investigations of the dark current at the ELBE SRF gun-II. The beam dynamics of the dark current is studied with the ASTRA code, which helps us to track the field electrons starting from the cathode area and from other sources, so that we can understand their different contributions to the dark current.

As an excellent demonstration of SRF gun technology, HZDR's SRF Gun-II has been rountinely operated as an electron gun for the ELBE THz radiation and the ELBE neutron source since 2018, delivering CW beams with bunch charges of up to 300 pC at 50-100 kHz. As is well known, the quality of the photocathodes is crucial for the stability and reliability of the gun operation. Different cathodes have been used in the HZDR SRF gun and the cathodes have been replaced three to four times per year. In the last five years, the quality of the superconducting cavity has remained almost stable, but some characteristics of the gun have been observed related to the cathodes. In this contribution, we will introduce the operational aspect of the photocathodes in HZDR SRF gun, look back at the achievements and discuss open issues and possible improvements for future application.

Superconducting radio frequency photo injectors (SRF gun) offer advantages for operating in continuous wave (CW) mode and generating high-brightness and high-current beams. A new SRF gun is designed as a low emittance photo injector for LCLS-II-HE and a prototype gun is currently being developed under collaboration between SLAC, FRIB, HZDR and ANL. The aim is to demonstrate stable CW operation at a cathode gradient of 30 MV/m. One of the crucial components for successful SRF gun operation is the photocathode system. The new SRF gun will adopt the HZDR-type cathode, which includes a cathode holder fixture (cathode stalk) developed by FRIB and a cathode exchange system designed by HZDR. This innovative cathode insertion system ensures accurate, particle-free and warm cathode exchanges. A novel alignment process targets the cathode to the stalk axis without touching cathode plug itself. To commission the prototype gun, metallic cathodes will be used. A specifically designed vacuum system ensures vacuum pressure of 10-9 mbar for transport of a single cathode from the cleanroom to the gun.

Superconducting radio frequency photo injectors (SRF gun) offer advantages for operating in continuous wave (CW) mode and generating high-brightness and high-current beams. A new SRF gun is designed as a low emittance photo injector for LCLS-II-HE and a prototype gun is currently being developed under collaboration between SLAC, FRIB, HZDR and ANL. The aim is to demonstrate stable CW operation at a cathode gradient of 30 MV/m. One of the crucial components for successful SRF gun operation is the photocathode system. The new SRF gun will adopt the HZDR-type cathode, which includes a cathode holder fixture (cathode stalk) developed by FRIB and a cathode exchange system designed by HZDR. This innovative cathode insertion system ensures accurate, particle-free and warm cathode exchanges. A novel alignment process targets the cathode to the stalk axis without touching cathode plug itself. To commission the prototype gun, metallic cathodes will be used. A specifically designed vacuum system ensures vacuum pressure of 10-9 mbar for transport of a single cathode from the cleanroom to the gun.

As an excellent demonstration of SRF gun technology, HZDR's SRF Gun-II has been rountinely operated as an electron gun for the ELBE THz radiation and the ELBE neutron source since 2018, delivering CW beams with bunch charges of up to 300 pC at 50-100 kHz. As is well known, the quality of the photocathodes is crucial for the stability and reliability of the gun operation. Different cathodes have been used in the HZDR SRF gun and the cathodes have been replaced three to four times per year. In the last five years, the quality of the superconducting cavity has remained almost stable, but some characteristics of the gun have been observed related to the cathodes. In this contribution, we will introduce the operational aspect of the photocathodes in HZDR SRF gun, look back at the achievements and discuss open issues and possible improvements for future application.

In the high gradient rf photoinjectors, dark current is the “unwanted beam” not produced by the cathode drive laser. It is a part of field emission from the cavity and photocathode, which is accelerated through the gun. Dark current can cause beam loss, increase the risk of damage to accelerator components, and create additional background for beam users. Furthermore, during operation of the ELBE srf gun, the dark current has been found to correlate with the photocathode QE and life time. Therefore, understanding the sources as well as the dynamics of dark current is crucial to machine safety and gun quality. In this paper we present our experimental investigations of the dark current at the ELBE SRF gun-II. The beam dynamics of the dark current is studied with the ASTRA code, which helps us to track the field electrons starting from the cathode area and from other sources, so that we can understand their different contributions to the dark current.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high brilliance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) photoinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017, so that now more than 1800h of user beam are generated every year. Since the commission, a total of 24 cathodes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 10 Cs2Te) have been used, without observing serious cavity degradation. The contribution summarized commissioning and operational experience of the last years, with special emphasis on SRF properties but also on specialties such as dark current and multipacting that are directly linked to the integration of a normal conducting cathode into the SRF cavity.

A superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) photo injector is in operation at the electron linac for beams with high brilliance and low emittance (ELBE) radiation center and generates continuous wave (CW) electron beams with high average current and high brightness for user operation since 2018. The speed of emittance measurement at the SRF gun beamline can be increased by improving the slit-scan system, thus the measurement time for one phase space mapping can be shortened from about 15 min to 90 s. The convolution neural networks are applied to improve the efficiency and accuracy of beamlet images processing. In order to estimate the uncertainty in the calculation of normalized emittance, we analyze the main error contributions.

A dependable and consistent electron source is a crucial requirement for the achievement of high-power free electron lasers (FELs). Over the past two decades, it has been demonstrated that photoinjectors based on SRF technology (SRF guns) are suitable for continuous wave (CW) beam generation. SRF guns possess both the high accelerating field gradients of normal conducting RF photoinjectors and the low power dissipation thanks to mature SRF cavity technology, and therefore have the potential to provide the high-brightness, high-current beams required for CW-XFELs. After the demonstration of the first SRF gun in Dresden-Rossendorf, several SRF gun programs based on different approaches have achieved promising progress and even succeeded in routine operation. SRF guns are expected to play an important role in XFEL facilities in the near future. In this paper, we give an overview of design concepts, important parameters and development status of the worldwide SRF gun projects.

The coherent infrared and THz sources driven by the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE are described. The present status of the facility is summarized and a few scientific highlights are mentioned. Finally plans for a successor facility (Dresden Advanced Light Infrastructure, DALI) are outlined along with the most important scientific and technological challenges.

This work discusses the influence of different cleaning procedures on p-GaN grown on sap-phire by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The cleaned p-GaN surface was trans-ferred into an ultra-high vacuum chamber and studied by an X-ray photoelectron spectrome-ter, revealing that a cleaning with a so-called „piranha“ procedure results in low carbon and oxygen concentrations on the p-GaN surface. Contrary, a cleaning that solely uses ethanol represents a simple cleaning, but leads to an increase of carbon and oxygen contaminations on the surface. Afterward, the cleaned p-GaN samples underwent a subsequential vacuum thermal cleaning at various temperatures to achieve an atomically clean surface. XPS meas-urements revealed residual oxygen and carbon on the p-GaN surface. Thus, a thermal treat-ment under a vacuum did not entirely remove these organic contaminations, although the thermal cleaning reduced their peak intensities. The complete removal of carbon and oxygen contaminants was only achieved by argon ion sputtering, which is accompanied by a strong depletion of the nitrogen on the p-GaN surface. The treatments cause a large number of sur-face defects preventing the formation of a negative electron surface when the p-GaN is acti-vated with a thin layer of cesium.

A superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) photo injector is in operation at the electron linac for beams with high brilliance and low emittance (ELBE) radiation center and generates continuous wave (CW) electron beams with high average current and high brightness for user operation since 2018. The speed of emittance measurement at the SRF gun beamline can be increased by improving the slit-scan system, thus the measurement time for one phase space mapping can be shortened from about 15 min to 90 s. The convolution neural networks are applied to improve the efficiency and accuracy of beamlet images processing. In order to estimate the uncertainty in the calculation of normalized emittance, we analyze the main error contributions.

This study shows residual surface-C’s influence on photocathodes’ quantum efficiency based on p-GaN grown on sapphire by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. An X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) built in an ultrahigh vacuum system allowed the in-situ monitoring of the photocathode surface beginning immediately after their cleaning and throughout the activation and degradation processes. An atomically clean surface is necessary to achieve a negative electron affinity, which is the main prerequisite for high quantum efficiency. The p-GaN samples were cleaned with ethanol and underwent a sub-sequential thermal vacuum cleaning. Although carbon and oxygen contaminations, undesired impurities from the metal organic chemical vapor deposition, remained on the surface, p-GaN could still form a negative electron affinity surface when exclusively activated with cesium. After the activation with cesium, a shift to a higher binding energy of the photoemission peaks was observed, and a new species, a so-called cesium carbide, was formed, growing over time. The XPS data allowed elucidating the critical role of these cesium carbide species in photocathode degradation. The X-ray damage to the p-GaN:Cs photocathodes, especially the influence on the cesium, was additionally discussed.

Superconducting radio frequency photo injectors (SRF gun) offer advantages for operating in continuous wave (CW) mode and generating high-brightness and high-current beams. A new SRF gun is designed as a low emittance photo injector for LCLS-II-HE and a prototype gun is currently being developed under collaboration between SLAC, FRIB, HZDR and ANL. The aim is to demonstrate stable CW operation at a cathode gradient of 30 MV/m. One of the crucial components for successful SRF gun operation is the photocathode system. The new SRF gun will adopt the HZDR-type cathode, which includes a cathode holder fixture (cathode stalk) developed by FRIB and a cathode exchange system designed by HZDR. This innovative cathode insertion system ensures accurate, particle-free and warm cathode exchanges. A novel alignment process targets the cathode to the stalk axis without touching cathode plug itself. To commission the prototype gun, metallic cathodes will be used. A specifically designed vacuum system ensures vacuum pressure of 10-9 mbar for transport of a single cathode from the cleanroom to the gun.

Superconducting radio frequency photo injectors (SRF gun) offer advantages for operating in continuous wave (CW) mode and generating high-brightness and high-current beams. A new SRF gun is designed as a low emittance photo injector for LCLS-II-HE and a prototype gun is currently being developed under collaboration between SLAC, FRIB, HZDR and ANL. The aim is to demonstrate stable CW operation at a cathode gradient of 30 MV/m. One of the crucial components for successful SRF gun operation is the photocathode system. The new SRF gun will adopt the HZDR-type cathode, which includes a cathode holder fixture (cathode stalk) developed by FRIB and a cathode exchange system designed by HZDR. This innovative cathode insertion system ensures accurate, particle-free and warm cathode exchanges. A novel alignment process targets the cathode to the stalk axis without touching cathode plug itself. To commission the prototype gun, metallic cathodes will be used. A specifically designed vacuum system ensures vacuum pressure of 10-9 mbar for transport of a single cathode from the cleanroom to the gun.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high brilliance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) photoinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017, so that now more than 1800h of user beam are generated every year. Since the commission, a total of 24 cathodes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 10 Cs2Te) have been used, without observing serious cavity degradation. The contribution summarizes commissioning and operational experience of the last 8 years of gun operation, with special emphasis on SRF properties but also on specialties such as dark current and multipacting that are directly linked to the integration of a normal conducting cathode into the SRF cavity.

This folder "XPS data" contains original and evaluated XPS data (.vms) on a p-GaN sample which was treated at various temperatures and underwent Ar+ irradiation. Furthermore, the folder "REM Images" contains REM images (.tif) and EDX data (.xlsx) on the used excessively treated sample. All images that are published in the main manuscript are collected as .tif files in the folder "images".

The LCLS-II-HE Project at SLAC seeks to increase the photon energy reach of the LCLS-II FEL to at least 20 keV. In addition to upgrading the undulator system, and increasing the electron beam energy to 8 GeV, the project will also construct a low-emittance injector (LEI) in a new tunnel. To achieve the LEI emittance goals, a low-MTE photocathode will be required, as will on-cathode electric fields up to 50% higher than those achievable in the current LCLSII photoinjector. The beam source for the LEI will be based around a superconducting quarter-wave cavity resonant at 185.7 MHz. A prototype gun is currently being designed and fabricated at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU). This paper presents performance goals for the new gun design, an overview of the prototype development effort, status, and future plans including fabrication of a “production” gun for the LEI.

Achieving an atomically clean surface is an important step to improving the quality of semiconductor photocathodes, but it is a challenging requirement for surface treatment [1]. In order to understand the surface during the cleaning, the cesium deposition, and the storage of the photocathode, the use of an x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) is needed. The XPS probes the electronic structure of the p-doped gallium nitride (GaN) photocathode after each step of the preparation process. Using energies between 1200-0 eV the core levels of Ga, N, O, C and Cs are monitored.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stable operation of the electron sources of the accelerator-based light sources (for example X-ray FEL at DESY [1], THz at ELBE [2], etc). In this field, high quantum efficiency (QE) and long operation lifetime are the most important parameters for the ideal photocathode materials. Cs2Te photocathodes have been successfully applied in the e- guns at DESY and in the superconducting RF gun at HZDR. Recently GaN as a new photocathode candidate has been paid more and more attention because of its high QE and robustness. However, even under the extremly high vacuum environment, photocathodes lose QE slowly and change the QE distribution during the operation. In this contribution, we will present the surface study on the Cs2Te and GaN photocathodes, including the QE evolution during operation (see Fig. 1) and the XPS analysis of the 'used' photocathodes (see Fig. 2). Several possible reasons leading degradation of those photocathodes might be: 1. rest gases during operation react with the sensitive alkali-rich surface; 2. the low energy ions, ionized rest gas molecules by the electrons, reach the cathode surface and react with the surface.

The LCLS-II-HE Project at SLAC seeks to increase the photon energy reach of the LCLS-II FEL to at least 20 keV. In addition to upgrading the undulator system, and increasing the electron beam energy to 8 GeV, the project will also construct a low-emittance injector (LEI) in a new tunnel. To achieve the LEI emittance goals, a low-MTE photocathode will be required, as will on-cathode electric fields up to 50% higher than those achievable in the current LCLSII photoinjector. The beam source for the LEI will be based around a superconducting quarter-wave cavity resonant at 185.7 MHz. A prototype gun is currently being designed and fabricated at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU). This paper presents performance goals for the new gun design, an overview of the prototype development effort, status, and future plans including fabrication of a “production” gun for the LEI.

The LCLS-II-HE Project at SLAC seeks to increase the photon energy reach of the LCLS-II FEL to at least 20 keV. In addition to upgrading the undulator system, and increasing the electron beam energy to 8 GeV, the project will also construct a low-emittance injector (LEI) in a new tunnel. To achieve the LEI emittance goals, a low-MTE photocathode will be required, as will on-cathode electric fields up to 50% higher than those achievable in the current LCLSII photoinjector. The beam source for the LEI will be based around a superconducting quarter-wave cavity resonant at 185.7 MHz. A prototype gun is currently being designed and fabricated at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU). This paper presents performance goals for the new gun design, an overview of the prototype development effort, status, and future plans including fabrication of a “production” gun for the LEI.

The LCLS-II-HE Project at SLAC seeks to increase the photon energy reach of the LCLS-II FEL to at least 20 keV. In addition to upgrading the undulator system, and increasing the electron beam energy to 8 GeV, the project will also construct a low-emittance injector (LEI) in a new tunnel. To achieve the LEI emittance goals, a low-MTE photocathode will be required, as will on-cathode electric fields up to 50% higher than those achievable in the current LCLSII photoinjector. The beam source for the LEI will be based around a superconducting quarter-wave cavity resonant at 185.7 MHz. A prototype gun is currently being designed and fabricated at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU). This paper presents performance goals for the new gun design, an overview of the prototype development effort, status, and future plans including fabrication of a “production” gun for the LEI.

An x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) is used in the HZDR photocathode lab to understand the surface states of GaN photocathodes during its cleaning, cesium activation and degradation. The XPS probes the electronic structure of the p-doped GaN photocathode after each step of the preparation process. Using energies between 1200-0 eV the core levels and auger photoemission peaks of Ga, N, O, C and Cs are monitored. In our experiments, p-GaN on sapphire samples were cleaned with 99 % ethanol in an ultrasonic bath, followed by a thermal cleaning in a vacuum with the intention to remove carbon and oxygen contaminations on the p-GaN surface. Although still some carbon remained on the surface, the p-GaN was successfully activated by the deposition of a thin layer of cesium. Quantum efficiencies (QE) of 3 - 9 % were achieved. XPS photoemission spectra show a shift towards higher binding energies for the photoemission peaks, which is caused by a new component, so-called organic – cesium. During the storage under ultra – high vacuum, the GaN:Cs photocathodes were measured from time to time in the photocurrent and by XPS. We found a shift of 0.35 eV towards lower binding energies, which is related to the formation of the organic – cesium islands. This island growth is assumed to be in close correlation to the photocathode degradation. The p-GaN:Cs photocathodes showed a big QE loss after XPS analysis and therefore we investigated the potential damage from x-ray irradiation. The long-time irradiation experiments show that the x-ray damage has a high influence on the cesium component and the degradation of the p-GaN:Cs photocathode.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stability and reliability of the photoinjector’s operation. Thanks to the robust magnesium and Cs2Te photocathodes, SRFgun-II at HZDR has been proven to be a successful example in CW mode for high current user operation. In this contribution, we will present our observation of the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathodes during SRF gun operation. The variables including substrate surface, film thickness, Cs/Te stoichiometric, multipacting, RF loading and charge extract are considered in the analysis.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stable operation of the photoinjector. Thanks to the robust Cs2Te photocathodes, SRF gun at HZDR has been proven to be a type of successful CW e- source. In this contribution, we will present the operation experience of Cs2Te photocathodes in SRF gun, especially the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathode during user operation. The possible reason for QE degradation will be discussed.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stability and reliability of the photoinjector’s operation. Thanks to the robust magnesium and Cs2Te photocathodes, SRFgun-II at HZDR has been proven to be a successful example in CW mode for high current user operation. In this contribution, we will present our observation of the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathodes during SRF gun operation. The variables including substrate surface, film thickness, Cs/Te stoichiometric, multipacting, RF loading and charge extract are considered in the analysis.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high bril-liance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) pho-toinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017 and 2018, so that now more than 3400h of user beam have already been gen-erated since 2019. During this time, a total of 20 cath-odes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 6 Cs2Te) were used, but no serious cavity degradation was observed. In this paper, we summarize the operational experience of the last 6 years of SRF gun operation, with special emphasis on main RF properties of the gun cavity.

Achieving an atomically clean surface is an important step to improving the quality of semiconductor photocathodes, but it is a challenging requirement for surface treatment [1]. In order to understand the surface during the cleaning, the cesium deposition, and the storage of the photocathode, the use of an x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) is needed. The XPS probes the electronic structure of the p-doped gallium nitride (GaN) photocathode after each step of the preparation process. Using energies between 1200-0 eV the core levels of Ga, N, O, C and Cs are monitored.

An x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) is used in the HZDR photocathode lab to understand the surface states of GaN photocathodes during its cleaning, cesium activation and degradation. The XPS probes the electronic structure of the p-doped GaN photocathode after each step of the preparation process. Using energies between 1200-0 eV the core levels and auger photoemission peaks of Ga, N, O, C and Cs are monitored. In our experiments, p-GaN on sapphire samples were cleaned with 99 % ethanol in an ultrasonic bath, followed by a thermal cleaning in a vacuum with the intention to remove carbon and oxygen contaminations on the p-GaN surface. Although still some carbon remained on the surface, the p-GaN was successfully activated by the deposition of a thin layer of cesium. Quantum efficiencies (QE) of 3 - 9 % were achieved. XPS photoemission spectra show a shift towards higher binding energies for the photoemission peaks, which is caused by a new component, so-called organic – cesium. During the storage under ultra – high vacuum, the GaN:Cs photocathodes were measured from time to time in the photocurrent and by XPS. We found a shift of 0.35 eV towards lower binding energies, which is related to the formation of the organic – cesium islands. This island growth is assumed to be in close correlation to the photocathode degradation. The p-GaN:Cs photocathodes showed a big QE loss after XPS analysis and therefore we investigated the potential damage from x-ray irradiation. The long-time irradiation experiments show that the x-ray damage has a high influence on the cesium component and the degradation of the p-GaN:Cs photocathode.

Accelerator scientists have high demands on photocathodes possessing high quantum efficiency (QE) and long operational lifetime. p-GaN, as a new photocathode type, gained recently more and more interest because of its ability to form a negative electron affinity (NEA) surface. Being activated with a thin layer of cesium, p-GaN:Cs photocathodes promise higher QE and better stability than the known photocathodes. In our study, p-GaN samples grown on sapphire or silicon were wet chemically cleaned and transferred into an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber, where they underwent a subsequent thermal cleaning. The cleaned p-GaN samples were activated with cesium to obtain p-GaN:Cs photocathodes and their performance was monitored in respect to their quality, especially their QE and storage lifetime. The surface topography and morphology were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. We have shown that p-GaN could be efficiently reactivated with cesium for several times. This paper compares systematically the influence of wet chemical cleaning as well as thermal cleaning at various temperatures on the QE, storage lifetime and surface morphology of p-GaN. As expected, the cleaning influences strongly the cathodes’ quality. We show that high QE and long storage lifetime are achievable at lower cleaning temperatures in our UHV chamber.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stability and reliability of the photoinjector’s operation. Thanks to the robust magnesium and Cs2Te photocathodes, SRFgun-II at HZDR has been proven to be a successful example in CW mode for high current user operation. In this contribution, we will present our observation of the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathodes during SRF gun operation. The variables including substrate surface, film thickness, Cs/Te stoichiometric, multipacting, RF loading and charge extract are considered in the analysis.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high bril-liance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) pho-toinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017 and 2018, so that now more than 3400h of user beam have already been gen-erated since 2019. During this time, a total of 20 cath-odes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 6 Cs2Te) were used, but no serious cavity degradation was observed. In this paper, we summarize the operational experience of the last 6 years of SRF gun operation, with special emphasis on main RF properties of the gun cavity.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stability and reliability of the photoinjector’s operation. Thanks to the robust magnesium and Cs2Te photocathodes, SRFgun-II at HZDR has been proven to be a successful example in CW mode for high current user operation. In this contribution, we will present our observation of the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathodes during SRF gun operation. The variables including substrate surface, film thickness, Cs/Te stoichiometric, multipacting, RF loading and charge extract are considered in the analysis.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stable operation of the photoinjector. Thanks to the robust Cs2Te photocathodes, SRF gun at HZDR has been proven to be a type of successful CW e- source. In this contribution, we will present the operation experience of Cs2Te photocathodes in SRF gun, especially the QE evolution of Cs2Te photocathode during user operation. The possible reason for QE degradation will be discussed.

The heart of the ELBE Center for High Power Radiation Sources is a superconducting RF (SRF) linac, which accelerates electrons up to 35 MeV for driving a diverse set of secondary radiation sources. The ELBE linac is particularly unique in the capability of accelerating a continuous beam of ultrashort bunches of electrons at very high repetition rates (up to 26 MHz). This extremely high-power electron beam is selectively directed into specially designed beamlines to drive secondary radiation sources for THz/IR photons (FELBE and TELBE), positrons (pELBE), neutrons (nELBE), and gamma radiation (ELBE), each with dedicated laboratories and instrumentation. Users from all over the world utilize the advanced radiation sources at ELBE for a wide array of both fundamental and applied studies of matter, health, energy, and technology. The ELBE accelerator was first commissioned in 2001 in the form of a grid-pulsed 250 kV thermionic gun followed by two stages of RF bunching to inject beam into a linac comprised of two SRF cryomodules, each containing two 9-cell DESY TTF-type niobium accelerating cavities. Through continuous development and research, the ELBE facility has achieved many major advancements in accelerator technology, the most important being the ELBE SRF Gun program, which has designed, built, and commissioned several prototype SRF electron guns for high bunch charge, high average current, and low emittance. The ELBE SRF Gun-II is the first and only electron source of its type to deliver electron beam to a user experiment, and is now in routine operation for the TELBE and pELBE beamlines. An overview of the performance parameters of the ELBE accelerator and secondary sources will be presented in this talk along with a summary of the experimental capabilities available to users. Highlights of recent user results will also be presented to help illustrate the great potential ELBE provides for a diverse scientific community. Beamtime proposals are accepted and revie

ELBE is a compact, accelerator-driven photon and particle source. The variety of secondary radiation being offered extends from high-energy gamma rays to infrared and THz radiation as well as from neutrons to positrons and electrons. Since 2001 ELBE is operated as a user facility, providing more than 5500 hours of beamtime with an efficiency of more than 90% each year. The electron accelerator is based on four superconducting 9-cell TESLA cavities that are driven in CW operation to accelerate an average current of 1 mA up to beam energies of 40 MeV. The the talk will summarize our experiences of operating TESLA cavities over two decades in CW. In detail, this includes the cavity performance and attempts to improve it, as well as investigations on their limitations. Additionally, we will discuss several issues that are related to the high average RF as well as beam power and we will present appropriate measures to protect the machine. In this regard we will also report on long-term experiences with our 10kW 1.3 GHz solid state power amplifiers and introduce a resonant ring for RF component tests at CW power levels up to 100 kW.

An x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) is used in the HZDR photocathode lab to understand the surface states of GaN photocathodes during its cleaning, cesium activation and degradation. The XPS probes the electronic structure of the p-doped GaN photocathode after each step of the preparation process. Using energies between 1200-0 eV the core levels and auger photoemission peaks of Ga, N, O, C and Cs are monitored.

The contribution highlights the developments of superconducting radio frequency photo electron source (SRF gun) in Germany. The success at HZDR, as well as the progress at HZB and DESY are discussed. The presentation completes with detailed beam dynamics simulations for the typical bunch charges and an gives perspectives of high charge (1 nC) operation.

The quality of the photocathodes is critical for the stable operation of the electron sources of the accelerator-based light sources (for example X-ray FEL at DESY [1], THz at ELBE [2], etc). In this field, high quantum efficiency (QE) and long operation lifetime are the most important parameters for the ideal photocathode materials. Cs2Te photocathodes have been successfully applied in the e- guns at DESY and in the superconducting RF gun at HZDR. Recently GaN as a new photocathode candidate has been paid more and more attention because of its high QE and robustness. However, even under the extremly high vacuum environment, photocathodes lose QE slowly and change the QE distribution during the operation. In this contribution, we will present the surface study on the Cs2Te and GaN photocathodes, including the QE evolution during operation (see Fig. 1) and the XPS analysis of the 'used' photocathodes (see Fig. 2). Several possible reasons leading degradation of those photocathodes might be: 1. rest gases during operation react with the sensitive alkali-rich surface; 2. the low energy ions, ionized rest gas molecules by the electrons, reach the cathode surface and react with the surface.

This data repository contains analyzed data files of the shown figures. Please see the info.txt files in the individual directories and the original manuscript for guidance. Manuscript title: Influence of surface carbon on the performance of cesiated p-GaN photocathodes with high quantum efficiency Original datasets of the surface study of p-GaN: after wet chemical cleaning, after Cs deposition, during the degradation, and the influence of X-rays on p-GaN:Cs photocathodes. The folder contains datasets from origin, excel and XPS files (.vms) The XPS data were evaluated by using CasaXPS.

Origin-files zur Darstellung von thermischen Reinigung, Aktivierung und Quanteneffizienz-Überwachung von GaN Fotokathoden SEM Bilder als .tif Dateien EDX Spektren als Exel-files zur Darstellung von EDX Analysen AFM Orginal Bilder die mit dem Programm Gwiddion geöffnet werden können

Negative electron affinity (NEA) GaAs- and GaN-based photocathodes are used in modern night vison detectors and light emitting diodes. GaAs semiconductors are already used as electron sources in particle accelerators and well- studied. Like GaAs, GaN belongs to the III-V semiconductor group. It is assumed that GaN, like GaAs, shows enormous potential as a novel electron source for particle accelerators. P-type GaN on a substrate material (sapphire, silicon, copper or SiC) is activated by a thin layer of caesium and illuminated by ultra-violet (UV) light to observe the gained photocurrent. To produce an NEA surface and thus highest QE, it is necessary to remove any residual impurities on the GaN surface. Therefore, GaN is chemical cleaned and vacuum thermal cleaned before it is caesium-activated. The aim of the thermal treatment is to gain an atomically clean surface. With a comparison of different substrate materials, chemical pre-cleaning, thermal treatment, and activation parameters (e.g. caesium-flux), the quantum efficiency, lifetime and the re-activation of the photocathode is studied. Additionally, the morphology and surface composition of the GaN is examined by XPS, AFM, SEM and EDX.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high bril-liance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) pho-toinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017 and 2018, so that now more than 3400h of user beam have already been gen-erated since 2019. During this time, a total of 20 cath-odes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 6 Cs2Te) were used, but no serious cavity degradation was observed. In this paper, we summarize the operational experience of the last 6 years of SRF gun operation, with special emphasis on main RF properties of the gun cavity.

At the ELBE high power radiation facility, the second version of a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) photoinjector has been put into operation and is now routinely applied for user operation at the ELBE electron accelerator. SRF guns are suitable for generating continuous wave (CW) electron beam with high average currents and high beam brightness. The SRF gun at ELBE has the goal to generate short electron pulses with bunch charges of 200-300 pC at typical repetition rates of 100 kHz for the production of super radiant, coherent terahertz radiation. The SRF gun includes a 3.5-cell, 1.3 GHz niobium cavity and a superconducting solenoid. A support system with liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling allows the operation of normal-conducting, high quantum efficiency photo cathodes. In the paper we present the design and performance of the SRF gun as well as beam measurements for the operation with Mg photocathodes and an acceleration gradient of 8 MV/m (4 MeV kinetic energy). Finally, we discuss the SRF gun application for production of coherent terahertz radiation at the ELBE facility.

The solenoid is a significant part of an electron injector to provide a proper focusing, and preserve the beam projected emittance. A superconducting solenoid is applied for the SRF photoinjector at HZDR. The solenoid itself can degrade electron beam quality due to magnetic field imperfections like multipole components. In order to determine the field aberrations in the solenoid, we measured the superconducting solenoid magnetic field in the cryomodule. A simple and effective method is used to analyze the multipole field components, which will be presented in this paper.

At the electron accelerator for beams with high bril-liance and low emittance (ELBE), the second version of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) pho-toinjector was brought into operation in 2014. After a period of commissioning, a gradual transfer to routine operation took place in 2017 and 2018, so that now more than 3400h of user beam have already been gen-erated since 2019. During this time, a total of 20 cath-odes (2 Cu, 12 Mg, 6 Cs2Te) were used, but no serious cavity degradation was observed. In this paper, we summarize the operational experience of the last 6 years of SRF gun operation, with special emphasis on main RF properties of the gun cavity.

In 2014, the second-generation of the ELBE SRF gun replaced its predecessor, which had been in operation since 2007. In the first two years, copper and magnesium cathodes were initially used without any discernible problems. However, after switching to Cs2Te in 2017, it was found that the layers of two cathodes evaporated within a few days during RF operation in the Gun. Since this was never observed in Gun I, an extensive root cause search was conducted using a dedicated cathode test setup. The findings pointed to loose thermal contact between the cathode plug and the cathode body and ultimately resulted in a change of the used cathode substrate from molybdenum to copper. Although this was accompanied by a lower quantum efficiency of about 5% after preparation, it stabilized to 1-2% during beam operation in the SRF gun. As of May 2020, three of these cathodes have now been successfully used for THz user beam time and a total charge of 26 C has been extracted. Together with the electrons still produced by Mg cathodes in 2019/2020, a total of 217 user shifts could be served and 2600h hours of beam time were delivered. This demonstrates the reliability of CW SRF in combination with normal conducting cathode and is so far unique in the world. During the talk, the reason for overheating, the preparation on Cu substrate as well as experiences from the past two years of user beam operation will be presented in detail.

Particle accelerators are always looking for new materials which can promise high quantum efficiency, a long lifetime and good vacuum stability, fast response time and low thermal emittance. Semiconductors such as GaN as novel materials for photocathodes are showing an enormous potential. Activated with a thin alkali metal layer, like caesium (Cs), p-GaN has the ability to lower the surface work function to produce a negative electron affinity (NEA). Requirements on the instrumentation is to avoid any oxygen contamination before, during and after the activation with caesium, so the activation process takes place in a UHV chamber. At the beginning of 2020 the first activation of GaN on sapphire substrate was successfully done and meanwhile more activations could be implemented. The activation process is influenced by many parameters like Cs-flux, heat-cleaning temperature, conductivity, anode material, vacuum and the substrate. All of these parameters have an influence on the photocathodes quality and its lifetime, which are studied and compared.