{"id":187,"date":"2012-10-21T17:38:59","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T00:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/?p=187"},"modified":"2023-12-19T13:33:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T21:33:20","slug":"ion-pump-element-rebuild-procedure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/ion-pump-element-rebuild-procedure\/","title":{"rendered":"Ion pump element rebuild procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ion Pump Element Tech Tip – Flip the plates<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a number of years it becomes necessary to replace the ion pump elements used on surface analysis instrumentation such as X-ray Photoelectron spectrometers (XPS), Auger (AES), and Secondary Ion Mass spectrometers (SIMS). But what if you can\u2019t afford the cost of new ion pump elements? Depending on how worn out the plates are, you may simply be able to \u201cflip\u201d the plates.<\/p>\n

This procedure is written for the DI (Differential Ion) pump elements used on most PHI surface analysis and Perkin Elmer vacuum systems. However, it can also be applied to other ion pump elements such as Varian, which are used on many general-purpose vacuum systems.<\/p>\n

Ion pump elements have three basic components: magnets, an anode, and two cathodes. For the DI pumps, one cathode plate is made out of tantalum and the other cathode plate is made out of titanium. Using cathodes made from these two materials provides good pumping stability for both inert and active gases. The size of the pump is determined by the number of elements used. For example, a Perkin-Elmer 120 l\/s ion pump has 4 elements and a 220 l\/s ion pump has 8 elements.<\/p>\n

\"ion

The magnets cause electrons, which are created as part of the ionization process, to spiral in the anode. This in turn increases the probability of a collision with a gas molecule. When an electron collides with a gas molecule, the gas becomes ionized and the molecule is accelerated into a cathode. Over time, the cathodes become sputtered away and the ceramics that isolate the anode become coated and conductive. Also, flakes can form and accumulate, which can cause arcing from the anode to ground. As a result, the pump elements\u2019 performance is greatly reduced and the elements need to be removed and inspected.<\/p>\n

Usually, the pump elements need to be replaced. However, if the plates are not sputtered all the way through, it is possible to simply \u201cflip\u201d the plates, clean the anode, and replace the anode-isolation ceramics. Functionally, the ion pumps will be good as new. They will not last as long as new ion pump elements because the plates will not be as thick as new elements. You can, though, often get an extra 2-to-5 years of usage from the elements depending on your base vacuum, gas load, etc.<\/p>\n

In the image below, you can see the anode, cathodes, and the heavily coated anode-isolation ceramics. Before you disassemble the elements, make a note of the position of the anode tab. One of the elements usually has the tab on the opposite side from the others. You will reassemble the elements so the tab is in the same location.<\/p>\n

\"coated

Disassembling and Reassembling the Ion Pump Elements<\/p>\n

Wear gloves and use clean tools when disassembling and reassembling the ion pump elements.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Use a slotted screwdriver and a 5\/16″ open end wrench to remove the screws and nuts that hold the elements together. TIP:<\/strong> Use isopropanol as a lubricant to prevent the nuts from seizing.<\/li>\n
  2. Use a small flat-tip screwdriver and a pair of pliers to bend the ceramic shield tabs up.<\/li>\n
  3. Lift each ceramic shield out of its support bracket to remove the anode-isolation ceramics.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The graphic below shows the components once the pump elements have been disassembled: the anode plate, the cathode plates, and the support brackets<\/p>\n

    .\"ion

    The image below shows the cathode after it has been sputtered. The sputtered areas look like pin holes. In this example, the sputtering is only about \u00bd of the way through the plate, which means that there is a lot of material left.<\/p>\n

    \"Sputtered

    As shown in the picture below, we can see that the cathode is not sputtered all the way through when we flip it over; there are no holes on this side of the cathode. Because the center of the sputtered area will most likely not line up perfectly when the plate is flipped, the lifetime of the pump will be extended.<\/p>\n

    \"un-sputtered

    The picture below is an example of a plate that is sputtered all the way through. In this case, the ion pump elements need to be replaced and not rebuilt.<\/p>\n

    \"sputtered

    The picture below shows a clean ceramic and a coated ceramic. RBD Instruments provides the new ceramics. Please visit the Parts \u2013 Vacuum related section of our website at www.rbdinstruments.com.<\/p>\n

    \"ion

    Once you have disassembled the elements, the rebuild procedure is very simple:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. While wearing gloves, use a clean wire brush to remove any flakes from the plates, anode, support brackets, and ceramic shields. Note that you do not need to remove all of the deposits and discoloration on the parts. Just make sure that whatever remains will not come off easily. The important thing is that the active portion of the plates is now fresh, the ceramics are new, and there are no loose flakes that can cause shorting.<\/li>\n
    2. Install new ceramics. TIP Use a channel lock pliers to crimp the tabs on the ceramic shields that hold the ceramics in place.<\/li>\n
    3. Flip the plates so that the fresh side is facing the anode. Because the tantalum plate is thinner the titanium plate, most elements will have a thin steel plate on the tantalum side of the cathode. The tantalum plate will be noticeably heavier than the steel plate.
      \nMake sure that you put the clean tantalum side towards the anode. The picture below shows the dirty element after the plates have been flipped and reassembled. It may not look pretty, but it will work as well as a new element.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"rebuilt

      Assemble the plates and support brackets, as shown in the picture above. Make sure that the support brackets are holding the anode snuggly as you tighten the screws and nuts.<\/p>\n

      \u00a0Installing the Elements Back into the Pump Well<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Before installing your rebuilt or new ion pump elements, use a wire brush and a vacuum cleaner to clean the pump well and remove all flakes that are inside the pump well. You can also wipe the inside of the pump well with a Kim wipe or lint-free cloth and some isopropanol. You want the pump well to be as clean as possible as any remaining flakes can cause shorting in the elements, which would require that you disassemble the ion pump again.<\/li>\n
      2. If possible, bake your vacuum chamber into the turbo pump for 4 hours.<\/li>\n
      3. Let the ion pump cool down before you try to start the ion pumps. Removing as much water vapor as possible will make the ion pumps much easier to start.<\/li>\n
      4. Start the ion pump.<\/li>\n
      5. Pump the chamber until you are in low 10-7 or low 10-8 Torr range.<\/li>\n
      6. With the ion pumps on, bake the chamber again for an additional 8-to-24 hours.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If you need more information on this procedure or would like to order the ceramics or new ion pump elements, please contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        Here are some pictures that show an ion pump being lowered:<\/p>\n

        \"Dropping

        \"Pump

        Ion Pump Element Tech Tip – Flip the plates After a number of years it becomes necessary to replace the ion pump elements used on surface analysis instrumentation such as X-ray Photoelectron spectrometers (XPS), Auger (AES), and Secondary Ion Mass … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[164],"tags":[31],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/DI-Ion-pump-element.png?fit=510%2C595&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2DEXo-31","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3860,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/ion-pump-elements-flip-the-plates-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":0},"title":"Ion pump elements \u2013 Flip the plates part II","author":"Randy","date":"October 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog post will explain how you can modify the ion pump element Tantalum and Titanium plates to expose a fresh surface area which functionally is the same thing as replacing the plates.","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"new sputter area","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/new-sputter-area.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/new-sputter-area.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/new-sputter-area.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/new-sputter-area.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":381,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/ion-plasma-to-clean-ion-pumps\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":1},"title":"Ion Plasma to clean ion pumps","author":"Randy","date":"March 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If you try to start an ion pump when the vacuum in the chamber is in the mid 10-4 range, the gas load will be high enough to produce a visible ion plasma. \u00a0Normally you don\u2019t start the ion pumps until the vacuum is pulled down to the low 10-5\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ion pump element","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/DI-Ion-pump-element.png?fit=510%2C595&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":992,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/ion-pump-rejuvenation-procedure\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":2},"title":"Ion Pump Rejuvenation Procedure","author":"Randy","date":"March 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After prolonged periods of sputtering with Argon gas, the ion pumps can become saturated, resulting in occasional \"belches\" of Argon during which the ion pumps overheat and release large amounts of gas. These belches usually result in a snowball effect that can dump the system. Rejuvenating the ion pumps once\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Ion-pump.jpg?fit=243%2C207&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":606,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/tnbx-ion-pump\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":3},"title":"Servicing a P-E TNBX Ion Pump Well","author":"Joe Caterinicchio","date":"February 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"RBD Instruments provides all of the parts that you need to rebuild these TNBX ion pump wells.\u00a0 Contact us for more information.\u00a0 For best results, read this entire post and then look at the pictures at the bottom of the post. The P-E (Perkin Elmer) TNBX style of Ion Pump\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"poppet-valve-scissors-assembly-installed","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/poppet-valve-scissors-assembly-installed.jpg?fit=486%2C324&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1874,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/endoscopic-ion-pump-inspection\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":4},"title":"Endoscopic ion pump inspection","author":"Randy","date":"January 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"An easy way to determine whether or not an ion pump needs to be rebuilt is to perform an endoscopic ion pump inspection. The hard way is to drop the ion pumps. In the last few years the prices have really come down on USB and android\/iPhone endoscopes. If you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"coating_on_ceramic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/coating_on_ceramic.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2891,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/argon-bottle-installation-procedure\/","url_meta":{"origin":187,"position":5},"title":"Argon Bottle Installation Procedure","author":"Randy","date":"June 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This procedure explains how to install and pump out a 25cc argon gas bottle for an 04-303 or 06-350 ion gun used on PHI XPS and AES systems.","rel":"","context":"In "General Optics and Vacuum"","block_context":{"text":"General Optics and Vacuum","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/general-optics-and-vacuum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"25cc-argon-bottle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25cc-argon-bottle.jpg?fit=756%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25cc-argon-bottle.jpg?fit=756%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25cc-argon-bottle.jpg?fit=756%2C756&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3951,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions\/3951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}