Electron source and method for the operation thereof

1. An electron source comprising:

an electron emitter comprising an electron emission cathode;

a high voltage unit connected to the electron emission cathode that supplies power thereto, said high voltage unit comprising a processor therein configured to obtain at least one measurement value pertaining to operation of said election emitter;

a low voltage unit configured to control operation of the high voltage unit; and

an electrically isolated data transmission path between the high voltage unit and the low voltage unit, said low voltage unit supplying data comprising said control instructions to the high voltage unit via the electrically isolated data transmission path; and

said processor in said high voltage unit being configured to receive said control instructions and to adjust said control instructions dependent on said at least one measurement value to produce a processor output, and to supply said processor output to said electron emitter to control said operation of said electron emitter.

2. An electron source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data transmission path is an optical data transmission path.

3. An electron source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data transmission path is a bi-directional data transmission path.

4. An electron source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electron emitter has a control electrode operated by said processor output signal.

5. An electron source as claimed in claim 4 wherein said control electrode is a screen electrode.

6. An electron source as claimed in claim 1 comprising a unipolar high voltage line connecting said high voltage unit to said electron emitter for supplying power to said electron emitter.

7. An electron source as claimed in claim 6 wherein said high voltage line comprises resistance damping.

8. A method for operating an electron source, comprising the steps of:

supplying an electron emitter with voltage from a high voltage unit to cause an electron emission cathode of said electron emitter to emit electrons;

controlling operation of said high voltage unit with a low voltage unit according to control signals;

supplying data representing said control signals from said low voltage unit to said high voltage unit via a non-electrical path between the high voltage unit and the low voltage unit;

with a processor in said high voltage unit, obtaining at least one measurement value pertaining to operation of said electron emitter; and

in said processor, adjusting said control signals dependent on said at least one measurement value to produce a processor output, and supplying said processor output to said electron emitter to control said operation of said electron emitter.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising measuring a current flowing through the electron emission cathode, and generating a measurement value corresponding to said current and supplying said measurement value from said high voltage unit to said low voltage unit non-electrically.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising measuring a resistance of said electron emission cathode and generating resistance data corresponding thereto, and supplying said resistance data from said high voltage unit to said low voltage unit non-electrically.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising measuring a temperature of the electron emission cathode and using the measured temperature in said low voltage unit to generate a control signal for operating said electron emitter.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising transferring data via said non-electrical path from said low voltage unit to said high voltage unit that relate to a control electrode that interacts with said electron emission cathode.

13. An electron source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to obtain, as said at least one measurement value pertaining to operation of said electron emitter, a measurement of a temperature of said electron emission cathode.