This half-day-long short course describes pumps and pumping characteristics best used for ultraclean pumping. Process environments differ, and specific pump com­binations are matched to suit the process environment. Choosing materials for use in ultraclean vacuum environments requires knowledge of their properties and how they are used in valves, seals, and feedthroughs. Water vapor is traditionally difficult to remove during the roughing cycle, and we provide methods for minimizing its effect on pumping time. Modern vacuum systems are designed for diverse applica­tions, and one major distinction is their unique crossover pressure ranges in which pumping is switched from rough to high vacuum operation—a concept that is not well understood. We describe how to calculate the correct crossover pressure range for each major pump type. This course offers practical advice for operators, engineers, and maintenance personnel. It highlights useful and informative Best Practices for operating complex vacuum systems, e.g., guidance that would have been acquired historically through mentoring by experienced colleagues.

1. Selecting Ultraclean Pumps:

The specific pumping requirements of pumps and pump combinations needed for obtaining necessary vacuum levels and low particle concentrations for high yield manufacturing are reviewed:

1. Mechanical,
2. Turbomolecular,
3. Cryogenic,
4. Sputter-Ion, and
5. Getter and Titanium Sublimation (TSP).

2. Selecting Vacuum Materials:

Materials are carefully chosen for their compatibility for use within an ultraclean vacuum environment. This section reviews properties and compatibility of materials used in chambers, valves, seals, and feedthroughs:

1. Metals, glasses, and ceramics,
2. Elastomers for gaskets and seals,
3. Effects of outgassing and cleaning, and
4. Best Practices: Vacuum materials.

3. Rough Pumping Large Systems:

Production systems are designed for specific applications; therefore, roughing systems no longer look like, or are operated like those described in historically dated books. This section describes roughing techniques for turbo and cryopump systems that are designed for efficient pumping, prevention of pump overload and prevention of atmospheric aerosol-based contamination:

1. Minimizing water vapor accumulation,
2. Preventing aerosol formation and deposition,
3. Best Practices: Reducing water vapor,
4. High vacuum pump crossover pressures for turbo, cryo, sputter-ion, and TSP systems, and
5. Best Practices: Crossover pressure ranges.

4. Ultraclean System Issues:

Historically, ultrahigh vacuum was the domain of the researcher; however, it is necessary for ultra-clean manufacturing, even for processes that operate in the medium- or low-vacuum region. This places constraints on how systems are designed and operated, and how performance data are measured:

Multi-chambered designs and load locs, Cleaning chambers, Metrology choices, and Best Practices, Ultraclean Systems.