Multicomponent Getter Films for Getter-Ion Pumps

Abstract

Since the first commercial application of getter-ion pumping, a single metal, such as titanium, has usually been employed for this purpose. However, data obtained several years ago for bulk gettering, i.e., volume absorption of gases by heated materials, showed considerable increases in gettering rates for certain binary alloy compositions over the rate for either component alone. These results suggest that comparable effects might be observed in getterion pumps. This paper reports the results of experiments on the use of two reactive metals in a sputter-ion pump. Residual gas analyses are given and conclusions stated for titanium-zirconium and certain gases. The data indicate the superiority of two-component films, compared with titanium, for pumping in the milliTorr range. The differences in base pressures and residual gas spectra were minor.