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JP-2026514415-A - Gas trapping element

JP2026514415AJP 2026514415 AJP2026514415 AJP 2026514415AJP-2026514415-A

Abstract

A gas capture element for capturing gas in a non-evaporative getter pump, wherein the gas capture element comprises a surface structure including a plurality of structural elements formed from NEG material as columnar objects or microvilli produced by additive manufacturing. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

  • ロッジ サミュエル デヴィッド

Assignees

  • エドワーズ リミテッド

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20240306
Priority Date
20230329

Claims (13)

  1. A gas capture element for capturing gas in a non-evaporative getter pump, wherein the gas capture element comprises a surface structure including a plurality of structural elements in the form of columnar or microvilli of NEG material produced by additive manufacturing.
  2. The gas trapping element according to claim 1, wherein the surface-to-area ratio of the gas trapping element is greater than 10, preferably greater than 100, and more preferably greater than 1000.
  3. The gas trapping element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the structural element has a height-to-width ratio of more than 10, preferably more than 20.
  4. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the structural element has a height between 5 μm and 1000 μm, preferably between 50 μm and 500 μm.
  5. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the structural element has a width between 1 μm and 100 μm, preferably between 10 μm and 100 μm.
  6. A gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the distance between two adjacent structural elements is less than 50 μm, preferably less than 20 μm, and most preferably less than 10 μm.
  7. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surface structure is regularly patterned.
  8. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the surface structure has a structural element density of more than 10/ cm² , preferably more than 100/ cm² , and most preferably more than 1000/ cm² .
  9. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the structural elements are substantially identical.
  10. The gas trapping element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the structural element is made from Zr, Ti, Ta, Hf, Fe, Va, Al, or an alloy of one or more of these elements.
  11. A method for manufacturing a gas capture element for capturing gas in a non-evaporative getter pump, comprising depositing NEG material onto a surface by additive manufacturing to create a columnar or microvilli surface structure.
  12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the surface structure is made according to the gas trapping element described in any one of claims 1 to 10.
  13. An NEG pump comprising at least one gas capture element, manufactured according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or in accordance with claim 11 or 12.

Description

This invention relates to a gas capture element for capturing gas in a non-evaporative getter (NEG) pump. Furthermore, this invention relates to a method for manufacturing a gas capture element and to an NEG pump. NEG pumps are generally used as ultra-high vacuum (UHV) pumps, where layers of sintered disks made of NEG material are heated and activated inside the device. NEG-coated hardware is also used in some UHV applications to reduce the effects of surface gas release in piping, but also to function as an additional pumping mechanism. It is known that the pumping speed of an NEG pump is directly proportional to its active surface area. To achieve this, most current sintered disks intentionally have a high porosity. However, hardware such as pipes or other vacuum components are typically coated with NEG material by sputtering, which provides a smooth and compact surface. Therefore, the active surface area of NEG-coated hardware is determined by the surface area of the component itself, which tends to result in insufficient pumping activity. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas trapping element.Figure 1 is a schematic top view of the gas trapping element. The gas capture element 10 comprises a surface 14. The surface 14 can be the surface of vacuum hardware such as a pipe or other type of vacuum component. Structural elements 12 are produced on the surface 14 by additive manufacturing. The structural elements 12 are made from some NEG material such as Zr, Ti, Ta, or an alloy of one or more of these elements. The structural elements are made as pillars or microvilli. The structural elements 12 can have various shapes. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a specific number of structural elements shown in the figures; typically, the gas trapping element 10 of the present invention comprises numerous structural elements produced on the surface 14 by additive manufacturing. Moreover, in the example shown in the figures, all structural elements are shown to be similar or identical. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and different structural elements can have different shapes or dimensions, all of which are employed in a single gas trapping element. Furthermore, in the example shown in the figures, the structural elements are shown to be regularly patterned across the surface area of the hardware. This can be achieved, in detail, by using additive manufacturing as the technique for producing the structural elements, which differs from random processes such as sputtering, growth, or other conventional deposition methods. The structural element 12 may have a height H, a width W, a distance D between adjacent structural elements, and a periodicity Δ. The height H of the structural element may be between 5 μm and 1000 μm, preferably between 50 μm and 500 μm. The width W of the structural element 12 may be between 1 μm and 100 μm, preferably between 10 μm and 100 μm. The distance D between two adjacent structural elements 12 may be less than 50 μm, more preferably less than 20 μm, and most preferably less than 10 μm. The periodicity Δ may be less than 100 μm, preferably less than 50 μm, and most preferably less than 20 μm. In particular, the ratio H/W of the height H to the width W of the structural element is preferably greater than 10, more preferably greater than 20. Thus, high density of the structural element can be achieved depending on the configuration and dimensions of the structural element. In detail, the density of structural elements can be greater than 10/ cm² , preferably greater than 100/ cm² , and more preferably greater than 1000/ cm² . Therefore, a large number of structural elements 12 can be arranged in a given area to increase the surface-to-area ratio. The surface-to-area ratio is determined by dividing the active surface provided by the structural elements by the area of the surface 14 on which the structural elements 12 are arranged. Preferably, the surface-to-area ratio is greater than 10, preferably greater than 100, and more preferably greater than 1000. Therefore, when creating structural elements to increase the active NEG coating surface, a substantial increase in the active surface can be achieved by using additive manufacturing techniques. This allows for an increase in the pumping performance, specifically the pumping speed, of the NEG material.