UHV hardware. Helium leak tight. Semiconductor grade.

UHV (below 10⁻⁹ mbar) requires extreme cleanliness. Our UHV workflow: machining in dedicated area, ultrasonic cleaning (acetone, then IPA, then DI water), final vacuum-bake at 250 °C, packaging in particle-free bags in clean environment. All handling with lint-free gloves. For critical semiconductor and research applications, documented cleaning procedure with test results.

316L stainless: workhorse for chambers and fittings. Low outgassing, weldable, corrosion resistant. OFE copper C101: for gaskets (CF seals) and thermal components — high purity prevents hydrogen embrittlement. Aluminum 6061-T6: for less critical chamber components — lighter, cheaper, adequate for high-vacuum applications. Never use free-machining materials (leaded alloys) in vacuum — volatile additives cause contamination.

CF flanges: knife-edge seals into OFE copper gasket when bolted. Manufacturing requires: precision knife-edge geometry (height 0.9-1.1 mm typical, ±0.02 mm tolerance), flat sealing face (<0.005 mm), hardened to resist gasket indentation (stainless typically 30+ HRC in heat-affected zone). Our CF flanges tested to UHV compatibility and helium leak tightness.

Standard quality check for UHV hardware. Helium leak detector (mass spectrometer tuned to He mass 4) tests assemblies at 10⁻¹² mbar·L/s sensitivity. Pass criterion varies by application — semiconductor typically 10⁻¹⁰ or better, research UHV 10⁻¹¹ or better. We can coordinate leak testing at our location or ship with customer-performed leak test as standard.

UHV chamber interiors must have minimal outgassing — trapped gases in surface porosity release slowly under vacuum, limiting achievable pressure. Electropolishing removes the surface layer where gas was trapped, producing a clean, low-outgassing surface. Standard for UHV chambers requiring <10⁻¹⁰ mbar base pressure. Our chamber bodies electropolished as standard for UHV applications.

Standard CF flanges and fittings: 2-3 weeks. Custom chamber bodies with welding: 6-10 weeks. Complete chamber assembly with internals: 8-16 weeks. Specialty feedthroughs (glass-to-metal custom): 8-12 weeks. Plan ahead for UHV research programs — vacuum hardware often has longer lead times than customers expect.