Vacuum system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627189-B2
Application number	US-201514961264-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

The invention concerns a vacuum system, comprising a first vacuum chamber and a second vacuum chamber, the first vacuum chamber being evacuated by a first vacuum pump, in particular a turbomolecular pump, the first and the second vacuum chamber being connected by a passage, wherein the passage is surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal and an outer seal with a plenum positioned between the inner seal and the outer seal, the plenum being evacuated by a support vacuum pump, and wherein at least one sealing face of the inner seal consists of the wall material of the first or the second vacuum chamber, in particular the inner seal being formed by direct contact between the wall material of the first vacuum chamber and the wall material of the second vacuum chamber. Additionally, the invention concerns a mass spectrometry system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Vacuum system, comprising a first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and a second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) being evacuated by a first vacuum pump, in particular a turbomolecular pump, the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) being adjacent and connected by a passage, wherein the passage is circumferentially surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal ( 115 ) and an outer seal ( 114 ) with a plenum ( 106 ) positioned between the inner seal ( 115 ) and the outer seal ( 114 ), the plenum ( 106 ) being evacuated by a support vacuum pump ( 21 ), and wherein at least one sealing face of the inner seal ( 115 ) consists of the wall material ( 2 , 3 ) of the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), in particular the inner seal ( 115 ) being formed by direct contact between the wall material ( 3 ) of the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and the wall material ( 2 ) of the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ).

2. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) are made from metal, in particular aluminum, wherein the inner seal ( 115 ) comprises a first sealing face consisting of the wall material ( 3 ) of the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and a second sealing face consisting of the wall material ( 2 ) of the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), wherein the outer seal ( 114 ) comprises an elastomer O-ring, preferably a fluoropolymer elastomer O-Ring, in particular consisting of Viton or Kalrez, wherein the elastomer O-Ring is preferably held in place by a channel in the wall material ( 3 ) of the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) or wall material ( 2 ) of the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), and wherein in particular one side bar ( 116 ) of the channel is recessed relative to the first or the second sealing face.

3. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) comprises a port ( 11 , 10 ) in the wall of the vacuum chamber, the port ( 11 , 10 ) being covered by a cap ( 15 ), wherein the port ( 11 , 10 ) is surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal ( 101 , 102 ) and an outer seal ( 118 , 117 ) with a plenum ( 105 ) positioned between the inner seal ( 101 , 102 ) and the outer seal ( 118 , 117 ), wherein one sealing face of the inner seal ( 101 , 102 ) consists of the wall material ( 3 ) of the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the wall material ( 2 ) of the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) and wherein the plenum ( 105 ) associated to the port ( 11 , 10 ) is connected to the plenum ( 106 ) associated to the passage, so that both the passage plenum ( 106 ) and the port plenum ( 105 ) are evacuated by the support vacuum pump ( 21 ).

4. The vacuum system of claim 3 , wherein the port plenum ( 105 ) is formed between the cap ( 15 ) covering the port ( 11 , 10 ) and a second cap ( 107 , 108 ) covering an interior port to the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), so that the port plenum ( 105 ) comprises a substantial fraction of the area of the port ( 11 , 10 ), wherein one sealing face of the inner seal ( 101 , 102 ) consists of the material of the second cap ( 107 , 108 ), in particular stainless steel or aluminum.

5. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) comprise a mechanical feedthrough, wherein the joining face of vacuum chamber and feedthrough is surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal and an outer seal with a plenum positioned between the inner seal and the outer seal, and wherein the plenum associated to the feedthrough is connected to the plenum associated to the passage, so that both the feedthrough plenum and the port plenum are evacuated by the support vacuum pump.

6. The vacuum system of claim 5 , wherein the mechanical feedthrough comprises a movable shaft ( 601 ), a bearing ( 604 ) and a housing ( 602 ) which is being fixed, in particular bolted, to the wall ( 605 ) of the vacuum chamber, wherein the outer seal ( 606 ) comprises at least two elastomer O-rings, a first O-ring positioned between housing ( 602 ) and movable shaft ( 601 ), and a second O-ring positioned between housing ( 602 ) and wall ( 605 ) of the vacuum chamber, wherein the inner seal comprises two sealing areas, a first sealing area between the housing ( 602 ) and the wall ( 605 ) of the vacuum chamber, and a second sealing area between the housing ( 602 ) and the movable shaft ( 601 ) and wherein the plenum ( 608 ) comprises a first volume adjacent to the first sealing area and a second volume adjacent to the second sealing area, wherein the first and the second volume are interconnected by at least one hole drilled into the housing ( 602 ).

7. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) comprise an electrical feedthrough ( 8 , 9 ), wherein the joining face of vacuum chamber ( 12 ) and feedthrough is ( 9 ) surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal ( 113 ) and an outer seal ( 112 ) with a plenum ( 110 ) positioned between the inner seal ( 113 ) and the outer seal ( 112 ), and wherein the plenum ( 110 ) associated to the feedthrough ( 9 ) is connected to the plenum ( 106 ) associated to the passage, so that both the feedthrough plenum ( 110 ) and the passage plenum ( 106 ) are evacuated by the support vacuum pump ( 21 ).

8. The vacuum system of claim 7 , wherein the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) comprises a heating arrangement which is wired to the electrical feedthrough ( 8 , 9 ), in particular a light bulb, and wherein the wiring is at least partially insulated by a heat-resistant material, in particular capton.

9. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein an adapter piece ( 23 ) is fixed, in particular bolted, to the first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and/or the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ), the adapter piece ( 23 ) comprising a standard vacuum flange, in particular a CF flange, wherein the joining face of vacuum chamber ( 12 ) and adapter piece ( 23 ) is surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal ( 121 ) and an outer seal ( 119 ) with a plenum ( 120 ) positioned between the inner seal ( 121 ) and the outer seal ( 119 ), and wherein the plenum ( 120 ) associated to the adapter piece ( 23 ) is connected to the plenum ( 106 ) associated to the passage, so that both the adapter plenum ( 120 ) and the passage plenum ( 106 ) are evacuated by the support vacuum pump ( 21 ).

10. The vacuum system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum pump is a turbomolecular pump or an ion getter pump, wherein the second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) or a third vacuum chamber is evacuated by a second vacuum pump, in particular a turbomolecular pump or an ion getter pump, wherein the joining face of first vacuum chamber ( 13 ) and first vacuum pump and/or the joining face of second vacuum chamber ( 12 ) or third vacuum chamber and second vacuum pump is/are surrounded by a sealing arrangement comprising an inner seal ( 131 , 121 ) and an outer seal ( 133 , 119 ) with a plenum ( 132 , 120 ) positioned between the inner seal ( 131 , 121 ) and the outer seal ( 133 , 119 ), and wherein the plenum ( 132 , 190 ) associated to the first vacuum pump and/or the second vacuum pump is connected to the plenum ( 106 ) associated to the passage, so that both the pump plenum ( 132 , 190 ) and the passage plenum ( 106 ) are evacuated by the support vacuum pump ( 21 ).

11. The vacuum system of claim 10 , wherein the first vacuum pump and the second vacuum pump are formed by different stages of a multiport turbomole

Assignees

• Thermo Fisher Scient (Bremen) Gmbh

Inventors

• Deerberg Michael
• Krummen Michael
• Seedorf Ronald
• Seedorf Silke

Classifications

• F04D19/042

  Turbomolecular vacuum pumps · CPC title

• F04B37/14

  to obtain high vacuum · CPC title

• H01J49/147

  with electrons, e.g. electron impact ionisation, electron attachment (H01J49/145 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01J49/24 Primary

  Vacuum systems, e.g. maintaining desired pressures · CPC title

• H01J49/26

  Mass spectrometers or separator tubes · CPC title