Hydrogen in high vacuum systems with turbomolecular pumps and different backing pumps

摘要

The combination of diaphragm pumps with wide-range turbomolecular pumps constitutes a small but powerful oil-free high vacuum pumping system. Turbomolecular I pumps show gas dependent compression ratios, the lowest for hydrogen. Thus, the high vacuum can be governed by the hydrogen partial pressure. In the present investigation the residual gas composition of a turbomolecular pump and different backing pumps shows no improvement if diaphragm pumps with low ultimate pressure are replaced by rotary vane or Roots pumps. In this case the ultimate pressure in the high vacuum chamber is basically determined by the ratio of outgassing to pumping speed and not by the product of compression ratio and backing pressure. However; the hydrogen partial pressure increased if the ultimate pressure of the diaphragm pump was raised. At a backing pressure of 0.5 mbar the high vacuum reached a stable value not improvable by reduction in backing pressure.