In order to characterize different materials under field emission conditions, an experimental device has been developed. This device is able to reproduce electric field levels similar to the fields present in the injector diode of the AIRIX accelerator or in flash radiographic diodes. A HV generator feeds a vacuum diode with 50 to 200 kV pulse, during about 150 ns. Varying the anode/cathode gap, we can reach almost 1000 kV/cm electric fields. Voltage and current are measured directly in the diode via capacitive and inductive probes. The anode consists in a copper grid so that we can observe the light emission from the breakdown plasma with a high speed ICCD camera.
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