MKS 390 Micro-Ion Gauge Performance After Exposure to High Pressures

Abstract

In certain applications, pressure transducers may be exposed to high pressures either deliberately or accidentally, raising concerns about their functionality afterwards. We compared the performance of two MKS Granville-Phillips 390 Micro-Ion Gauges against each other, one that had been exposed to 10,000 Torr and the other had never been exposed to pressures above 1000 Torr. Our results show that the differences in the readings between the gauges were within the range of uncertainty specified by the manufacturer indicating negligible impact due to the exposure to high pressure. Additionally, the high pressure exposure did not compromise the leak integrity of the gauge.

Figures (15)

• Figure 1: Photograph of the Vacuum system setup used to compare the two MKS 390 pressure transducers
• Figure 2: Diagram of the vacuum system used to assess the performance of the pressure transducers
• Figure 3: Typical step profiles used to scan through a range of system pressures to determine the mean pressure at each pressure setting
• Figure 4: Percentage discrepancy between the exposed transducer and the control gauge as a function of pressures ranging from 50 to 760 Torr
• Figure 5: Percentage discrepancy between the exposed transducer and the control gauge as a function of pressures ranging from 0.02 to 80 Torr