Trainer is Dr Stuart Astin

This course will deal with the principles involved in creating and maintaining a vacuum. The various aspects of gas behaviour that are important for this purpose will be described, together with the characteristics of flowing gas and how they change as pressure falls. On the basis of this analysis flow can be specified quantitatively and performance predicted.

• Schematic representation of a typical vacuum system
• Specifying a vacuum – pressure and partial pressures
• Air, water vapour and rarefied gas
• The molecular description of a gas. Mean free path
• Fluidic and molecular states of gas, Knudsen number
• Gas flow – viscous and molecular
• Specifying flow – throughput, pumping speed and conductance
• Sources of gas in a vacuum vessel. Outgassing
• The pumping process, pumping times and ultimate pressure

The trainer for VTC2 is Dr Richard Pilkington

The subject of this course is how vacuum is produced and measured in a few typical devices whose operation reflects the application of the principles described in the VTC1 course. A representative selection of simple systems will be described and analysed.

• Pumps: working principles and operating range of oil-sealed rotary, dry scroll, turbo-molecular, cryogenic and ion pumps.
• Pressure gauges: classification and operating range.  Working principles of Pirani, capacitance diaphragm and ionisation gauges.
• Residual gas analysis. The quadrupole instrument.
• Examples of systems at low and high vacuum.
• Sources of further information.

Participants requiring an introduction to topics/devices not included in this list are invited to submit requests for the consideration of the organisers.

The trainer is Dr Keith Middleman

The course is primarily aimed those who need to use equipment operating at vacuum levels of 10^-9 mbar or lower and is approached mainly from the physics aspects of vacuum science. Therefore, the course will emphasise the physical principles of equipment and processes.

There will be little mathematics or advanced physics used, so it will be suitable for people with an engineering or technical background. The topics to be covered will include:

• a general introduction to vacuum and UHV in particular;
• the measurement of total and partial pressures in UHV;
• Outgassing and related phenomena;
• processing; elements of system design and operation and quality assurance matters.

Trainer: please see Timetable

This course discusses the various uses and ever increasing requirements for leak detection, describing and defining what a leak is and the methods of detection, with practical demonstrations of finding leaks using a helium leak detector.

Discussions will include, modes of operation, such as Vacuum Mode vs Sniff Mode; Integral and local leak detection methods; description of various types of leaks that could be encountered and also various applications for Helium leak detection.

Finally, with time permitting, getting some audience participation to find leaks on some components.

Trainer: please see Timetable

This presentation gives an introduction to the basic requirements and properties of UHV chambers. The main focus will be the design and fabrication of chambers with regards to material choice and surface finish, together with a brief introduction to special-purpose solutions such as NEG coatings.

• Chamber design
• Fabrication techniques
• Materials for UHV applications
• Surface finishes
• Measurement of UHV
• Special Purpose / Application Specific solutions

Trainer: please see Timetable

This short course will introduce participants to the principles of RGA as used to determine the partial pressures of gases in high ultrahigh vacuum (i.e. pressures below about 10^-5 mbar.)

Concentrating on the most common form of instrument used for this technique — the small mass spectrometer — we will discuss the physics of ion sources, mass filters and detectors and how these affect the results obtained.

Finally, we will look at how a mass spectrum can be used to analyse the residual gases in the vacuum.

The course will be of interest to those science and engineering graduates or technicians who wish to gain an understand of this important technique. The level of physics involved will be elementary.

Trainer: please see Timetable

This practical course will concentrate on troubleshooting and pump maintenance.  In addition, we will discuss potential errors and their causes.

The course will concentrate on general operating information for vacuum pumps, and the causes of faults when the desired ultimate pressure is not achieved, or is achieved too slowly.

The trainer is Jinane Haddad, Leybold UK

1. Elements of cryopumping
   Intro to Cryosorption, cryo condensation and cryotrapping.
   Kinetic energy theory and the effect of pumping speed.
   Cryo consideration; sticking coefficient, transmission probability, saturated vapor pressure at cryogenic temperature Clausius-Clapeyron equation.
2. Cryopumps
   History of cryogenic vacuum.
   Brief overview on the type of cryopumps.
3. Cryocooler
   Physics of cryocooling (thermodynamics).
   Overview of Different cryocoolers (cold heads) and their operation principle.
4. Cryopumping basics
   Thermal load via convection, conduction and radiation.
5. Applications
   Cryocooling and cryopumping applications.