VT&C Vacuum Components and Systems Catalog & Literature
XEI Scientific, Inc.
Redwood City, CA
www.evactron.com
Tel: Tel: 1-650-369-0133
Email: sales@evactron.com
XEI Scientific, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Ronald Vane to provide an effective way to gently clean scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), focused ion beams (FIBs) and substrates for fine vacuum coatings. Volatile hydrocarbon molecules are an unavoidable constituent of all vacuum chambers. They are introduced into the chamber through atmospheric (adventitious) contamination, lubrication, or inadvertent contamination by users. This contamination does not pose an issue in and of itself. The Evactron Decontaminator, on the other hand, is a small device that is attached to any vacuum chamber allowing for direct in situ cleaning of the vacuum chamber. The Evactron Decontaminator has a valve manifold that introduces a small stream of gas such as room air, oxygen or hydrogen into the vacuum chamber. An attached pressure sensor is used to control the amount of gas flow. The gas flows past an electrode energized by a low power (5 to 20 W) radio frequency (RF) generator. This will create RF plasma localized in the region around the electrode. The Evactron RF plasma creates radicals that chemically etch and remove hydrocarbons, organics, and surface carbon from SEMs and other vacuum systems. Contaminants are ashed into volatile products that are removed through the roughing pump. Product and application information is available on our web site.