VPM-5 SMARTPIRANI™ APPLICATIONS

The SmartPirani™ is suitable for a wide range of industries and applications including fore-line measurement, mass spectrometers, scanning electron microscopes, coating processes, and gas-backfilling.

Analytical equipment

Mass spectrometers and scanning electron microscopes are types of analytical equipment that use vacuum gauges to determine safe operation of an ion source.

In certain applications, the ultra-wide range of the SmartPirani™ eliminates the need for expensive high vacuum ionization gauges like hot cathode ionization gauge or cold cathode ionization gauges. 

Physical vapor deposition

Coating of materials by use of physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes is used in many diverse industries including solar, medical, automotive, tooling, optics and packaging. In metal deposition applications the sputtering process often results in particulate contamination of vacuum equipment. Such particulates will damage vacuum gauges, which impacts measurement performance or reduces the gauge’s life-time.

The SmartPirani™ is available with a user-cleanable integrated particulate baffle system specially designed for PVD applications. The baffle system is designed for blocking particulates while ensuring sufficiently high vacuum gas conductance and preventing clogging of particulates. The innovative baffle feature can increase time between service intervals and increase equipment up-time. Furthermore, in certain PVD applications the extended range of the SmartPirani™ eliminates the need for cold cathode vacuum gauges for base pressure verification.

Move to next-generation vacuum transducers

The SmartPirani™ series products offer plug-and-play compatibility with vacuum transducers and transmitters from other vendors. The SmartPirani™ is available with pin compatibility, analog voltage pressure signal emulation and digital protocol emulation. The emulation features enable quick, seamless upgrading of traditional wire Pirani, convection gauges and legacy micro-Pirani transducers and allows moving to next-generation vacuum transducers without change of cabling and system equipment software.

The SmartPirani™ will in many applications provide both cost reduction and enhanced measurement performance when replacing legacy vacuum gauges and transducers.