Vacuum pump
AssigneeEdwards Limited
InventorMartin Ernst Tollner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a vacuum pump (10) which comprises a turbo-molecular pumping mechanism (12) in series with a Siegbahn pumping mechanism (14). A first pump inlet (16) is provided through which gas can pass through both the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism. Additionally, an inter-stage (inlet 18) is provided through which gas can enter the pump at a location between the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism and pass only through the Siegbahn pumping mechanism. There are flow channels (52, 62) in a first plurality of stages (32, 34) of the Siegbahn pumping mechanism which are in fluid communication with the inter-stage inlet (18) and gas entering the pump through the inter-stage inlet is pumped in parallel along said flow channels.
Claims6
A vacuum pump comprising:
- a turbo-molecular pumping mechanism in series with a Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- a first pump inlet through which gas can pass through both the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- and
- an inter-stage inlet through which gas can enter the pump at a position between the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism and pass only through the Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- wherein each of a plurality of stages of the Siegbahn pumping mechanism have flow channels that lead from the inter-stage port to a location such that gas entering the pump through the inter-stage inlet is divided between the stages and the divided gas is pumped in parallel along said flow channels and converges at the location.
A vacuum pump comprising:
- a turbo-molecular pumping mechanism in series with a Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- a first pump inlet through which gas can pass through both the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- and
- an inter-stage inlet through which gas can enter the pump at a location between the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism and the Siegbahn pumping mechanism and pass only through the Siegbahn pumping mechanism;
- wherein flow channels in a plurality of stages of the Siegbahn pumping mechanism are in fluid communication with the inter-stage inlet and gas entering the pump through the inter-stage inlet is pumped in parallel along said flow channels and wherein the inter-stage inlet and the exhaust of the turbo-molecular pumping mechanism are pumped independently by the Siegbahn pumping mechanism at different pressures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.