The present invention relates to cathodes electrodes compositions suitable to provide a pumping mechanism which exhibits an extremely high pumping speed and capacity of noble gas suitable to be used in several vacuum devices as for example sputter ion vacuum pumping systems comprising them as active element.

An ion pump with a housing enclosing an interior, a gas inlet having a through-hole extending into the interior of the ion pump, at least one cathode, at least one anode positioned in proximity to the at least one cathode, a magnet disposed on an opposite side of the at least one cathode from the anode, and a blocking shield disposed between the gas inlet and the at least one cathode. The blocking shield is electrically connected to the at least one anode. An associated method installs the blocking shield by inserting components of the blocking shield assembly through the gas inlet, and assembling (inside the interior of the ion pump) the inserted components to form the blocking shield.

An ion pump with a housing enclosing an interior, a gas inlet having a through-hole extending into the interior of the ion pump, at least one cathode, at least one anode positioned in proximity to the at least one cathode, a magnet disposed on an opposite side of the at least one cathode from the anode, and a blocking shield disposed between the gas inlet and the at least one cathode. The blocking shield is electrically connected to the at least one anode. An associated method installs the blocking shield by inserting components of the blocking shield assembly through the gas inlet, and assembling (inside the interior of the ion pump) the inserted components to form the blocking shield.

A method includes assessing a plurality of Titanium plates to determine a grain size for each plate and removing all Titanium plates with an average grain size that is larger than a threshold size from the plurality of Titanium plates. One of the Titanium plates remaining in the plurality of Titanium plates after the removing step is then used to form a cathode for an ion pump.

Method for the regeneration of a volume getter pump in a vacuum apparatus with a volume getter pump and an ion getter pump where the operating voltage of the ion getter pump is reduced, the current through the ion getter pump is recorded for determination of the pressure in the vacuum apparatus and then a heating element of the NEG is controlled as a function of the current of the ion getter pump for the purpose of heating the NEG material.

Method for the regeneration of a volume getter pump in a vacuum apparatus with a volume getter pump and an ion getter pump where the operating voltage of the ion getter pump is reduced, the current through the ion getter pump is recorded for determination of the pressure in the vacuum apparatus and then a heating element of the NEG is controlled as a function of the current of the ion getter pump for the purpose of heating the NEG material.

In a vacuum apparatus including an ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump, the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump is provided with a rod-shaped cathode including a non-evaporable getter alloy, a cylindrical anode disposed so as to surround the cathode, and a coil or a ring-shaped permanent magnet disposed so as to sandwich upper and lower openings of the cylindrical anode and surround the rod-shaped cathode. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump and to dispose the vacuum evacuation pump at a desired location in the vacuum apparatus.

In a vacuum apparatus including an ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump, the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump is provided with a rod-shaped cathode including a non-evaporable getter alloy, a cylindrical anode disposed so as to surround the cathode, and a coil or a ring-shaped permanent magnet disposed so as to sandwich upper and lower openings of the cylindrical anode and surround the rod-shaped cathode. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the ultrahigh vacuum evacuation pump and to dispose the vacuum evacuation pump at a desired location in the vacuum apparatus.

A system has a linear accelerator, ion pump and a compensating magnet. The ion pump includes an ion pump magnet position, an ion pump magnet shape, an ion pump magnet orientation, and an ion pump magnet magnetic field profile. The compensating magnet has a position, a shape, an orientation, and a magnetic field profile, where at least one of the position, shape, orientation, and magnetic field profile of the compensating magnet reduce at least one component of a magnetic field in the linear accelerator resulting from the ion pump magnet.

Getter pumping system particularly useful for linear accelerators or more generally high-volume environments, wherein a plurality of getter cartridges (100, 100, 100, . . . 100.sup.n) having a linear support (110, 110, 110, . . . 110.sup.n) and a plurality of linear heaters (120, 120, . . . 120.sup.n) are connected in a high-density configuration to a wall (11) that has a surface area of at least 0.5 m.sup.2.