About This Book

Vacuum systems are critical to many industries. They are vital to establishing required process pressures, establishing a clean process environment, and removing reaction by-products from the process chamber. Often vacuum systems are taken for granted until there is a malfunction that changes the process environment, resulting in unplanned personnel time fixing equipment, improperly processed products, and ultimately, a loss of revenue for the company.

Technicians with the knowledge and skills to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair vacuum systems are highly-valued in manufacturing and research organizations. These technicians are vital to keeping an organization’s vacuum equipment up and running. But vacuum equipment/systems and their operations pose unique challenges to maintain and support. Author David Hata’s Introduction to Vacuum Technology, published in 2008, was a textbook written specifically for individuals preparing to maintain and troubleshoot vacuum equipment systems. Hata’s book was a great companion textbook for any vacuum course included in a two-year technical program-of-study.

As of 2019, publisher Pearson Prentice Hall decided to discontinue printing copies of the Introduction to Vacuum Technology textbook. The publisher reverted the copyright for the book back to the author David Hata. The author, Dr. Elena Brewer from Erie Community College (Williamsville, NY), and Nancy Louwagie from Normandale Community College (Bloomington, MN) submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program in consideration of a project which would convert Hata’s textbook to an e-book version. The updated textbook resource would be made easily accessible via on-line platforms and incorporate resources in the textbook design to promote active learning styles for the benefit of today’s student population. The NSF awarded funding in support of the project (DUE #2000454).

The first four chapters of Introduction to Vacuum Technology is an open e-book version of Hata’s textbook. Like the previous version, this textbook addresses basic topics in vacuum technology and is written for individuals who are tasked with maintaining vacuum systems. It is also written for instructors, especially those who teach technician-level courses at community colleges who are looking for materials to support vacuum technology instruction. For these instructors, a laboratory manual and accompanying instructor’s guide have also been developed to support the delivery of lecture-laboratory courses.

Most vacuum books approach the subject topically. That is, separate chapters are devoted to rough vacuum pumps, high vacuum pumps, pressure gauges, vacuum materials, and other topics. This organization is appropriate for a reference book but not for a teaching text.

This book approaches vacuum systems from a pressure regime viewpoint. That is, after covering some basic vacuum science, the first pressure regime covered is the rough vacuum regime. Within the study of rough vacuum systems, the following topics are covered: gas load, pumping mechanisms, pressure measurement, vacuum system construction, and basic troubleshooting concepts. The discussion of rough vacuum is then followed by the study of high vacuum systems. The same topics are revisited, but this time from a high vacuum perspective. Once both rough vacuum and high vacuum systems are covered, then the topics of leak detection and residual gas analysis are introduced.

This pedagogical approach lends itself to laboratory experimentation. During the review of gas laws from chemistry, experiments and demonstrations can be performed to reinforce basic laws and concepts. Then, during the study of rough vacuum systems, pump-down times can be calculated and pump-down operations performed in the laboratory. Likewise, during the study of high vacuum systems, pump-down operations as well as other lab exercises, such as leak detection and residual gas analysis, can be performed.

Our intent was not to create an exhaustive treatment on vacuum science nor cover all the various vacuum technology components. Some topics have been consciously omitted, such as ultrahigh vacuum systems and the pumps that are used to create these very low pressures. The questions driving decisions to include or exclude material in the book focused on the needs of technicians in a production environment and the types of vacuum systems used.

This book is the result of years of teaching vacuum at the community college level. Many thanks go to the former students for challenging the authors to learn more about vacuum science, the variety of vacuum system designs and how these systems work. It was rewarding to work with them in the vacuum laboratory and experience their joy of discovery while making the connections between the science and the technology. The satisfaction in observing people putting these pieces together is the biggest motivation to write this book.

Please complete a short survey (surveymonkey.com/r/2P5693M) if you: want to provide feedback, found any mistakes and/or typos, or would like to add problems or activities. Your feedback will greatly help us to maintain and improve this E-book which was developed under National Science Foundation grant #2000454. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated. Click on this link to access the survey: surveymonkey.com/r/2P5693M.