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Low-Pressure

Measurement
Department Editor: Scott Jenkins

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ecause of the behavior of materials under vacuum, including 5IFVTFGVMPQFSBUJOHSBOHFPGBDPOWFOUJPOBM#"UZQFHBHF
lowered boiling points, low-pressure operations are useful tools FYUFOETCFUXFFO–3BOEo torr.
in chemical processing, as well as in research and develop-
ment and manufacturing. Areas where a vacuum system is neces- Crossed-electromagnetic-field IG
sary or useful include the following: "OPUIFSCSPBEUZQFPGJPOJ[BUJPOHBHFTDBOCFDMBTTJmFEBT
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*(T BMTPDBMMFEDPMEDBUIPEF
t1SPDFTTJOHUFNQFSBUVSFTFOTJUJWFNBUFSJBMT *(T
5IJT*(UZQFJTDIBSBDUFSJ[FECZUIFHFOFSBUJPOPGBEJT-
t1SFWFOUJOHVOXBOUFEDIFNJDBMSFBDUJPOTCFUXFFOQSPDFTTNBUFSJ- charge between cathode and anode that is maintained with a
als and the surrounding environment by removing air NBHOFUJDmFME
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maintains a cathode-anode discharge by applying a magnetic
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differential pressures directly to the anode; instead, they travel in helical paths through
t%FQPTJUJOHUIJOmMNTPOTVSGBDFT TVDIBTJOUIFNJDSPFMFDUSPOJDT the vacuum space.
industry and other areas 5IFFMFDUSPOTDBOJPOJ[FHBTNPMFDVMFTJOUIFWBDVVNXIFO
t5FTUJOHXJUINBTTTQFDUSPTDPQZ UIFZIBWFTVGmDJFOUFOFSHZ4JODFUIFSFTVMUJOHHBTJPOTIBWFNVDI
greater mass than electrons, they are unaffected by the magnetic
LOW-PRESSURE MEASUREMENT mFMEBOEBSFDBQUVSFE
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Because of vacuums’ central role in processing and research, it is current generated by the ion collection process is an indirect indica-
important to be able to measure pressures that may be a tiny frac- tion of vacuum pressure.
tion of typical atmospheric pressures. 5BCMFDPNQBSFTUIFBEWBOUBHFTBOEEJTBEWBOUBHFTPGFNJUUJOH
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TABLE 2. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ECG
TABLE 1. TYPICAL RANGES FOR VACUUM QUALITY VERSUS CROSSED-EMF IONIZATION GAGES

Pressure in torr Pressure in Pa Advantages Disadvantages

Atmospheric pressure 760 101.3 kPa Emitting- t"DDVSBDZCFUUFSUIBO t-POHFSEFMBZTUPBD-


cathode DSPTTFE&.' FTQFDJBMMZ RVJSFBTUBCMFSFBEJOH
Low vacuum 760 to 25 100 to 3 kPa IGs BUWFSZMPXQSFTTVSFT t%POPUIBOEMFDIFNJ-
Medium vacuum 25 to 1 × 10–3 3 kPa to 100 mPa t.PSFFBTJMZDBMJCSBUFE DBMMZBDUJWFHBTFTXFMM
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High vacuum 1 × 10–3 to 1 × 10–9 100 mPa to 100 nPa t-FTTBGGFDUFECZFYUFS- SBSFHBTFT

Ultrahigh vacuum 1 × 10–9 to 100 nPa to 100 pPa OBMNBHOFUJDmFMET


1 × 10–12 t&MFDUSPOFNJTTJPODVS-
Extremely high vacuum <1 × 10–12 <100 pPa SFOUDBOCFDPOUSPMMFE 
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Outer space 1 × 10–6 to 100 μPa to < 3fPa
3 × 10–17 (1fPa = 10–15 Pa) $SPTTFE t$BOCFUVSOFEPO t0VUQVUWBSJFTOPO
FMFDUSP- BUIJHIFSQSFTTVSFT MJOFBSMZXJUIQSFTTVSF
Perfect vacuum 0 0 magnetic EVSJOHBQVNQEPXO t1VNQJOHTQFFEIJHIFS
mFME*(T t/P9SBZMJNJU FMFDUSPOT than emitting cathode
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TVGmDJFOUUPNFBTVSFEJSFDUMZXJUIBOBCTPMVUFQSFTTVSFHBHF1SFTTVSF HFOFSBUFQIPUPDVSSFOU DPOUSPMMFE
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must be inferred by assessing a pressure-dependent physical property
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of the gas, such as thermal conductivity, ionizability or viscosity. t&MFDUSPOTUJNVMBUFEEFT- MFBETUPJOTUBCJMJUJFT
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IONIZATION GAGES
Selecting IGs
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BSFPOFDMBTTPGJOTUSVNFOUTGPSJOEJSFDU "OVNCFSPGGBDUPSTTIPVMECFDPOTJEFSFEXIFOTFMFDUJOH*(TGPS
NFBTVSFNFOUPGHBTEFOTJUZBOEQSFTTVSF*(THFOFSBMMZXPSLCZ pressure measurement in the high- and ultrahigh-vacuum ranges.
ionizing neutral gas molecules, then determining their number by 5IFTFDPOTJEFSBUJPOTJODMVEFUIFGPMMPXJOH
measuring an electrical current. Characteristics of ionization gages t1SFTTVSFSBOHFSFRVJSFEGPSBQQMJDBUJPO
include and electron source, an ion collector that is negative rela- t(BHFQVNQJOHTQFFE
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mechanism for measuring electric current. tAccuracy and stability
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Emitting-cathode ionization gages t*OUFSGFSFODFTXJUINBHOFUJDmFMET
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 t1SJDF
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electrons are emitted in a well-controlled, regular fashion from
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charged wire grid anode. 7JCFSU 1 .FDIBOJDBM1VNQTGPS7BDVVN1SPDFTTJOHo1BSU0OFChem.
As electrons pass through the space between the electrodes, Eng.,0DU QQo
they collide with gas molecules in the vacuum system to generate 4UBOGPSE3FTFBSDI4ZTUFNT*OD )PUWT$PME*POJ[BUJPO(BVHFT5FDIOJDBM
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emission rate, the formation of positive ions is directly propor- #SPPLT"VUPNBUJPO*OD*OUSPEVDUJPOUP#BZBSE"MQFSU*POJ[BUJPO(BVHFT
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