Kalrez® was the first high performance perfluoroelastomer designed for plasma, high temperature, and wet process applications, and was introduced in the 1970s. Many users think of Kalrez® in a similar way we have all come to think of “Kleenex®” – that is – as a generic product and just about any type of Kalrez® will be OK. However, there are now many versions (“compounds”) of Kalrez® based on the intended application, and the differences are substantial.
Many customers continue to rely on oil-sealed rotary vane pumps for many applications. They often struggle with issues related to vacuum oil, including oil leaks, dealing with used oil after oil changes, and oil back-streaming issues that impact their production process. Our partners at Trillium offer some low cost dry pump upgrades that are perfect for customers who want to eliminate the problems mentioned above but don’t want to spend $15-$30K for a new dry pumping system. If you would be interested in upgrading, and you have 3 phase power and process cooling water available at your facility, please reach out to IES for more information.
Problem
Oil back-steaming
Oil leaks
Used oil waste stream
Noise
Solution
Upgrade with Trillium and IES.
Trillium specializes in providing world-class vacuum pump repair, new and refurbished
Magnetron sputtering is a form of deposition technology that employs a gaseous plasma and kinetic energy to create a flux of ‘sputtered’ material used to coat surfaces under vacuum. The high-energy ions present in a magnetron sputtering plasma bombard the surface of the target (source material) and liberated atoms by the sputtering process to create this vapour cloud. The vapour moves through the vacuum area, depositing onto a substrate surface to create a thin film covering.
Standard Sputtering Processes
Standard sputter deposition processes (non-magnetically enhanced) involve a chamber evacuated to a high vacuum to decrease the partial pressure of background gases. Once the base pressure has been attained, a sputtering gas such as argon is introduced into the chamber and a pressure control system is employed to regulate the total pressure. [1]
A high negative voltage (-0.5 to -3 kV) is applied to the cathode
If you use or specify high vacuum components, then you are probably very familiar with some or all of these terms: ANSI, CF, ISO, KF, LF, NW, QF ... they have become part of our vernacular; but what do they mean and how are they used?
Here is a quick overview with basic descriptions:
ANSI
ANSI: American National Standards Institute. These are 150 pound series flanges commonly made to fit tubes ranging from 1.5” to 12” OD. One flange will contain a machined o-ring groove and the other is smooth, and the seal is made by compressing the two flanges together with bolts. ANSI took over this standard from ASA (American Steamfitters Association). ASA/ANSI flanges have been largely displaced by ISO-LF flanges. See below descriptions for ISO and LF.
CF
CF: ConFlat® which is a trade-mark of Varian Vacuum (now owned by Agilent). This is a flange system
RF Plasma Power Delivery System from Advanced Energy
“No strings attached performance” in RF plasma power for semiconductor manufacturing? At Advanced Energy (AE), they like to say, “no cables attached performance.” That was just one of the five daunting challenges they solved when designing their unique genre-breaking RF plasma power delivery system:
No cables from RF generator-to-match and match-to-process chamber electrode
Ultra-fast RF tuning for very short process steps
Wide impedance operating range
A compact single package to fit in small spaces (enabling direct connection to chamber)
Less expensive than traditional RF generator + matching network + connectors + cables
Paramount® HFi™ from Advanced Energy
Advanced Energy pioneered the first commercially viable, fully integrated RF generator and solid-state matching network system in the year 2000 … and it’s been a massive success. Since then, they've
Rotary Piston Vacuum Pumps are legendary for their ruggedness and reliability, thanks to their slow rotational speed and robust, but simple design. Invented in the early 20th century, these type of pumps are still in use today and are popular in metallurgy, space simulation and vacuum drying applications. Trillium US Inc. manufactures the Univac line of Piston Pumps, which are based on the tried and true Stokes H-10/11 series pumps. As a bolt-for-bolt drop in replacement for the Stokes 412, 212 and 148, the Univac 400, 200 and 100 are a competitive alternative with much shorter lead times.
The Trillium Rotary piston vacuum pumps have managed to maintain their popularity in many industries, especially those requiring the evacuation of large manually loaded vacuum chambers. Due to their rugged design and large internal clearances, piston pumps have the unique ability to ingest debris and continue to operate. In addition, their simple design makes it possible for on-site maintenance
A vacuum exists when there is negative pressure, or when there is system pressure that is less than atmospheric pressure. Manufacturing processes generate different levels of vacuum when operating at peak efficiency for a given vacuum application that are measured using a vacuum gauge. Absolute vacuum is the absence of all matter. Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure, is the pressure due to earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure is 760 Torr or 14.696 psia at sea level and changes with altitude. The vacuum pressure scale is book-ended by absolute vacuum pressure in the “ultra-high” vacuum range and atmospheric pressure at the “rough” vacuum range. It should be noted that absolute vacuum, or perfect vacuum, is never truly attained.
Most users know that vacuum is commonly measured using units of pressure. There are a few different systems of pressure measurement, and this blog will discuss those most used. In Armand Berman’s book,
IES Tech Sales Partners with Innovent Technologies
IES Tech Sales is excited to announce a new partnership with Innovent Technologies, LLC, a specialized contract manufacturer known for their excellence in assembling and testing semiconductor manufacturing tools and equipment. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in providing enhanced services and high-quality products to clients in various industries, such as Semiconductors, Optics, Medical, Life Science, Nanotechnology, and R&D.
The 81000 Series Aluminum Gate Valves are designed for high vacuum applications specifically when pressure ranges approximate 1 x 10-7 mbar and bakeout temperatures do not exceed 302°F. These valves are designed for system integrators, designers and OEM’s within the Semiconductor, Solar, LED/FPD, Coating and BioPharm industries due to their robust design and low cost. They feature precision machined high strength aluminum bodies from solid 6061-T6 billet, dual quad ring long life shaft seals and high performance PEEK components to reduce friction and lower particle levels. For maintenance purposes, the body is split above the flange for minimal clearance when removing the internal parts for servicing, while the lower portion can remain on the system.
Kashiyama Expands Partnership with IES Technical Sales
For decades, IES Technical Sales has been a distributor and key partner of Kashiyama Vacuum Solutions, a leading manufacturer of vacuum pumps, covering the semiconductor and high tech manufacturing industry. Their pumps can be found in many applications, including:
Vacuum drying and filling
Accelerators
Electrode drying
Mass spectrograph
Vapor Pumping
Centrifuge
Plasma cleaning, and much more
While IES Technical Sales was an exclusive distributor for Kashiyama's SDE Series, SDL Series, MU-X Series, and more, we are excited to announce more pump lines to our customer base.
