A New Cryopump With A Very Fast Regeneration System

Refrigerator cryopumps are pumping gases by condensation and cryosorption on very cold surfaces. Since the gases are accumulated in the cryopump it has to be regenerated from time to time, depending on the gas flow. In many industrial processes, especially in the semiconductor industry, the amount of gas is so high that regeneration becomes necessary up to twice a week. This leads to a process downtime of 4-6 h per regeneration. The new LEYBOLD refrigerator cryopump, COOLVAC 1500 FR, cuts the regeneration time for all permanent gases down to 1 h or even less.