Transcript Slide 1

Pressure
1 atmosphere ~ 1 bar ~ 760 mm Hg ~ 760 torr ~ 100,000 Pa
Ion gauges read in mbar i.e. 1x10-10 mbar = 1x10-13 atm.
Sometimes ion gauges read in torr but ours are set to mbar
Lower Pressure
1x10-4 mbar
Rough Vacuum
1x10-8 mbar
High Vacuum
Ultra High Vacuum
Viscous vs. Molecular Flow Regimes
The gas in a vacuum system can be in a viscous state, in a molecular state or in a
state which is intermediate between these two.
When a system is brought from the atmospheric pressure to "high vacuum", the gas
in the system goes through all these states. The mean free path of the gas
molecules is very small at atmospheric pressure so that the flow of the gas is limited
by its viscosity.
At low pressures where the mean free path of the molecules is similar to the
dimensions of the vacuum enclosure, the flow of the gas is governed by viscosity as
well as by molecular phenomena; this is the intermediate flow.
At very low pressures where the mean free path is much larger than the dimensions
of the vacuum enclosure, the flow is molecular.
Viscous > 10-4
Molecular < 10-6
Pumps
WE WILL ALWAYS MEAN mbar WHEN WE SAY
PRESSURES!
PUMPS:
Rotary goes to ~ 1x10-2
Turbo (depending on size) goes to ~1x10-9
Ion Pump goes to ~1x10-10
TSPs help maintain UHV
Rotary Pump
http://www.quorumtech.com/Products/RV5PUMP.jpg
Turbomolecular Pump
http://www.varianinc.com
Turbomolecular Pump
Turbo pumps utilize a stack of turbine blades which rotate at very high speed
(of order 50,000 rpm) to move gas from the inlet port to the exhaust port.
Turbo pumps are very effective at low pressures (<10 torr), essentially in the
molecular flow regime in which gas densities are so low that the molecules
collide with chamber walls far more often than with each other.
As a result, turbo pumps can achieve chamber base pressures of 10-9 torr or
below.
However, the high packing of fan blades and the high rotation speed of the
turbo pump make it ineffective at higher pressures, where fluid (viscous) flow
dominates.
Powering a turbo pump alone at atmospheric pressure will barely cause the
blades to rotate. THEREFORE TURBOS ARE BACKED BY ROTARY PUMPS
Ion Pumps
1 Permanent magnets
2 Pump envelope
3 Titanium cathodes
4 Anode cell array
5 Positive high voltage lead
http://www.thermionics.com/ip_too.htm
Ion Pumps
Sputter ion pumps operate by ionizing gas within a magnetically confined
cold cathode discharge.
The events that combine to enable pumping of gases under vacuum are:
Entrapment of electrons in orbit by a magnetic field.
Ionization of gas by collision with electrons.
Sputtering of titanium by ion bombardment.
Titanium gettering of active gases.
Pumping of heavy noble gases by ion burial.
Diffusion of hydrogen and helium into titanium.
Dissociation of complex molecules into simple ones for pumping ease, e.g., CH4
breaks down into C and 2H2. Hydrogen is pumped separately. Carbon is no
longer part of the residual gas and resides in solid form.
http://www.thermionics.com/ip_too.htm
Titanium Sublimation Pumps (TSPs)
Resistively heat Ti metal
Thin layer of Ti on chamber walls
This reacts with O2 etc and pumps chamber
N.B. Sample areas must be shielded!