Vacuum Technology — Course Integration Knowledge Map

How the six modules connect — and why diagnostics always cross module boundaries

M01

What Vacuum Is

What are we trying to achieve?

Pressure scales · mean free path · gas behaviour · units · R1-A orientation

M02

What Fights Against It

What prevents us from reaching target pressure?

Gas load sources · outgassing · contamination · rate-of-rise test · RGA spectra

M03

How Gas Moves

How does gas reach the pump?

Flow regimes · conductance · effective pumping speed · pumpdown curves

M04

What Systems Are Made Of

What are the materials, seals, and joints?

Materials selection · O-rings vs metal seals · KF/CF/ISO flanges · leak detection

M05

How Components Fit Together

How is the system assembled and isolated?

Chambers · valves · feedthroughs · baffles · gauges · isolation strategies

M06

How Vacuum Is Created & Measured

Is the pump doing its job?

Rotary vane · turbo · diffusion · cryo · Roots · pump selection · maintenance

Cross-Module Diagnostic Links

When a problem appears in one module, the evidence trail leads across module boundaries

M06 → M02 Pump not reaching base pressure? Check gas load first — outgassing or contamination may be the real cause.

M06 → M03 Slow pumpdown? Could be conductance — foreline too narrow, too long, or restricted by a valve.

M06 → M04 Persistent leak? Material compatibility or seal degradation may be causing a real leak at a joint.

M06 → M05 Isolation test fails? Component sequence, valve position, or feedthrough leak may be the source.

M02 → M04 High outgassing? Material selection and surface preparation directly control gas load.

M03 → M05 Conductance calculation requires knowing every component in the flow path — valves, baffles, traps.

M04 → M02 Wrong flange gasket? Contamination from degraded elastomers becomes an internal gas source.

M05 → M06 Gauge reading unstable? Verify the gauge is appropriate for the pressure range the pump can achieve.