Pumping of helium and hydrogen by sputter-ion pumps. II. Hydrogen pumping

Abstract

The pumping of helium by various forms of sputter-ion pumps (i.e., SIPs) is given in part I [K. M. Welch, D. J. Pate, and R. J. Todd, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 11, 1607 (1993)]. The pumping of hydrogen in diode and triode SIPs is herein discussed. The type of cathode material used in these pumps is shown to have a significant impact on the effectiveness with which hydrogen is pumped. Examples of this include data for pumps with aluminum, titanium, and titanium-alloy cathodes. Diode pumps with aluminum cathodes are shown to be no more effective in the pumping of hydrogen than in the pumping of helium. The use of titanium anodes and titanium shielding of a pump body is also shown to impact measurably the speed of a pump at very low pressures. This stems from the fact that hydrogen is ×106 more soluble in titanium than in stainless steel. Hydrogen becomes resident in the anodes because of fast neutral burial. Ions and fast neutrals of hydrogen are also buried in the walls of pump bodies. Outgassing of this hydrogen from the anodes and pump bodies results in a gradual increase in pump base pressure and consequential decrease in hydrogen pump speed at very low base pressures.