Adhesive-Free Nano-Material Cryosorber Panels for Extreme High Vacuum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cryopumps are limited by the melting temperature of adhesives used to attach cryosorption materials, restricting the baking temperature and thus the achievable base pressure, which hinders the attainment of extreme high vacuum conditions below 10−12 Torr due to residual water vapor and adhesive vapor pressure.
Innovation Solution
Employing nano-materials without adhesives as cryosorption materials, either grown directly on the cryosorption panels or mechanically attached, allowing for full baking above 100° C and eliminating the need for adhesives, thereby increasing the surface area for cryosorption and reducing hydrogen outgassing and water vapor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cryosorption materials are attached using adhesives, then the cryopump can be assembled and operated, but the baking temperature is limited to below 50° C. due to adhesive melting, which prevents achieving extreme high vacuum pressures below 10−12 Torr
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the adhesive component from the cryopump assembly by growing nanomaterials directly on the cryosorption panels. This extraction eliminates the limiting factor (adhesive melting) that prevented high-temperature baking, enabling the system to achieve baking temperatures above 100° C. and reach extreme high vacuum pressures below 10−12 Torr.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical adhesive bonding system with a direct growth/attachment system where nanomaterials are grown or attached directly to the cryosorption panels. This substitution eliminates the thermal limitation imposed by adhesives while maintaining the structural integrity and functionality of the cryopump assembly.
2Reliability
If conventional cryosorption materials are used with adhesives, then the pump structure is complete, but water vapor and adhesive vapor pressure limit the base pressure, preventing extreme high vacuum conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the source of harmful vapor pressure by removing adhesives from the system. Without adhesives, there is no adhesive vapor pressure contribution, and the ability to bake at high temperatures effectively removes water vapor through desorption, enabling base pressures below 10−12 Torr.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operating temperature parameter by enabling baking at temperatures above 100° C. This parameter change transforms the system from a state where water vapor and adhesive vapor pressure limit performance to a state where high-temperature baking effectively removes these contaminants, achieving extreme high vacuum conditions.
3Reliability
If adhesives are used to attach cryosorption material, then the cryopump can be assembled, but hydrogen outgassing is increased and extreme high vacuum cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the adhesive component that contributes to hydrogen outgassing. By eliminating adhesives and using direct nanomaterial growth or attachment, the system reduces hydrogen outgassing sources, enabling the achievement of extreme high vacuum pressures below 10−12 Torr.
4Reliability
If conventional cryosorption panels are used, then the pump can operate at standard vacuum levels, but the surface area for cryosorption is insufficient for extreme high vacuum applications
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs porous nanomaterials with extremely high surface area to volume ratios. These porous structures provide vastly increased cryosorption surface area compared to conventional materials, enabling the system to achieve extreme high vacuum pressures by providing sufficient adsorption capacity for residual gas molecules.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional two-dimensional surface coatings to three-dimensional porous nanomaterial structures. This dimensional transformation dramatically increases the available cryosorption surface area within the same physical footprint, providing the necessary capacity for extreme high vacuum operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the achievement of extreme high vacuum pressures by eliminating adhesive limitations, reducing hydrogen outgassing, and removing water vapor, facilitating the use of cryopumps in applications requiring pressures below 1×10−12 Torr.
Implementation Method 1
The pump works by removing molecules from the vacuum system by adsorption on the cryosorption material in the cryopump, which is a large surface area material
Implementation Method 2
enables the cryopump to be fully baked by heating the pump to a temperature above 100° C. to remove water vapor
Data Source
AI summary
A cryosorber panel having nanomaterials used for the cryosorption material, with nanomaterial either grown directly on the cryopanel or freestanding nanomaterials attached to the cryopanel mechanically without the use of adhesives. Such nanomaterial cryosorber materials can be used in place of conventional charcoals that are attached to cryosorber panels with special low outgassing, low temperature capable adhesives. Carbon nanotubes and other nanomaterials could serve the same purpose as conventional charcoal cryosorbers, providing a large surface area for cryosorption without the need for adhesive since the nanomaterials can be grown directly on a metallic substrate or mechanically attached. The nanomaterials would be capable of being fully baked by heating above 100° C., thereby eliminating water vapor from the system, eliminating adhesives from the system, and allowing a full bake of the system to reduce hydrogen outgassing, with the goal of obtaining extreme high vacuum where the pump can produce pressures below 1×10−12 Torr.