Tests of SEC Stability in High Flux Proton Beams

The Secondary Emission Chamber (SEC) is used to measure the beam intensity in slow extracted beam channels of proton synchrotrons around the world. With the improvements in machine intensity, these monitors have been exposed to higher flux conditions than in the past. A change in sensitivity of up to 25% has been observed in the region around the beam spot. Using SEC's of special construction, a series of tests was performed at FNAL, BNL-AGS and CERN-PS. The results of these tests and conclusions about the construction of more stable SEC's are presented.