Development of experiments on vacuum technology

Improvements in vacuum science and technology have triggered its application to wide areas of knowledge and it now plays an important role in many different industrial and research environments. The increasing use of elaborate and well designed vacuum systems leads to the need for well-trained staff and engineers in this area. The education and training of researchers and technicians by actual practice in laboratories has importance and significance in a field like vacuum science and technology. This is of particular importance for undergraduate and graduate student education, given the limited time available for teaching those curricula. It is very important for students’ education and training that direct quantitative measurements can be obtained during the experimental work, rather than just the simple operation of vacuum systems and qualitative analysis. Simple experiments, allowing students to perform direct measurements of the characteristics of different vacuum components and material properties, are thus important. We will describe simple experiments intended for didactic laboratory vacuum classes of undergraduate courses, where actual measurements are performed and compared with the values tabulated. These experiments are intended for five to six times 4-h laboratory classes of an introductory vacuum course for undergraduate students majoring in Physics, Physics Engineering and Material Sciences. Small high vacuum systems are used with a rough vacuum gauge at both the high-vacuum chamber and mechanical pump inlet. This allows the monitoring of the pressure in the vacuum chamber during the roughing procedure and after the high-vacuum valve is closed. Helium leak detectors have become common in both research and industrial environments. They have changed from luxury equipment, requiring expert handling, to economic, reliable and powerful monitoring instruments, which are relatively easy to use. Therefore, it is important to include these systems in the experimental training of students. A simple experiment, using a He leak detector to measure the helium permeability of different materials, is presented