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Technical Books on Vacuum Techniques

Modern Vacuum Practice, 3rd Edition

Nigel Harris
Self-Published, 2005, 457 pp.

Book Review (refers to 2nd edition)

Harris has written the introductory book every vacuum novice needs. Without mathematics or reference to the kinetic theory of gases, it is an excellent, practical and understandable guide, written in clear (if U.K.) English and full of clean, understandable drawings. It even has a series of sketches showing how to assemble an NW (KF or QF) flange. Harris opens with a simple description of vacuum and its applications and then has a delightfully slim chapter on 'Some Relevant Physical Concepts'. It gives the novice enough to adsorb and understand without baffling him or her on the more archane details. He follows this with two chapters on pressure measurements and residual gas identification, again managing to hit the simple truths rather than plowing through the minutia.

The central third of the book gives an excellent description and comparison of the important rough and high vacuum pumps. The depth of explanation is good without being stodgy. Each pump has its own practical troubleshooting chart describing what might cause the observed, faulty system behavior when evacuated by that type of pump. These tables alone are worth the price of the book to the neophyte vacuum user or maintenance staff person.

A separate 26-page chapter on leak detection has to be one of the most comprehensive every written. A chapter on "Safe Uses of Vacuum Equipment" is a very welcome first and should be 'required reading' for all new-to-vacuum practitioners.

Given the extent and clarity of the drawings, it is perhaps churlish to point out one of them is wrong. The wobble bellows rotary drive, as pictured on page 220, might wobble but it ain't gonna rotate in this or any other millennium.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Vacuum Technology	Chapter 14 - Getter and Ion Pumps
Chapter 2 - Gas Properties	Chapter 15 - Cryogenic Pumps
Chapter 3 - Gas Flow	Chapter 16 - Materials in Vacuum
Chapter 4 - Gas Release from Solids	Chapter 17 - Joints, Seals, and Valves
Chapter 5 - Pressure Gauges	Chapter 18 - Lubrication
Chapter 6 - Flow Meters	Chapter 19 - Rough Vacuum Pumping
Chapter 7 - Pumping Speed	Chapter 20 - High Vacuum Systems
Chapter 8 - Residual Gas Analyzers	Chapter 21 - Ultraclean Vacuum Systems
Chapter 9 - Interpretation of RGA Data	Chapter 22 - High Flow Systems
Chapter - 10Mechanical Pumps	Chapter 23 - Multichamber Systems
Chapter - 11Turbomolecular Pumps	Chapter 24 - Leak Detection
Chapter - 12Diffusion Pumps	Symbols
Chapter - 13Pump Fluids	Appendixes

MA User's Guide to Vacuum Technology, 3rd Edition

J. O'Hanlon
Wiley-Interscience, 2003, 516 pp.
ISBN:0471270520

Book Review (refers to 2nd edition)

This is comprehensive guide to vacuum technology, but not an introductory book. Although it does not presumed the reader has prior knowledge, the depth to which it plumbs each facet of vacuum technology will leave a newcomer stranded. It is, however, a vital text-book for all those technicians, engineers and researchers who, from daily contact, have some familiarity with vacuum systems, but must know more.

O'Hanlon divides the subject of Vacuum into for main sections: Its Basis, Production, Materials, Systems. It concludes with good Appendixes which, in this reviewer's copy, are so worked-over they are dog-eared with pages falling out.

The largest section is 'Its Basis' which is, appropriately, more than 1/3 of the book. It covers in suitable depth (including the math) the kinetic theory of gases, gas flow, outgassing, pressure measurement, etc. The 'Production' might equally be called Pumps since that's its focus. It covers the common types used but, since it was published in 1989, has no discussion on modern dry mechanical pumps or the benefits of hybrid turbo pumps with a molecular drag section attached.

The 'Materials' section is good, emphasizing how the choice of materials and components influences the ultimate pressure. If only this were understood by all vacuum users. It concludes with an interesting chapter on vacuum lubrication which gives references to a variety of liquid, grease, and dry lubricants.

The 'Systems' section describes the three types of common pump arrangements used in thin-film and semiconductor industries. Again the lack of dry pump information possibly dates the system configurations but does not detract from the operational detail. On page 356 there is a 'backstreaming' diagram reprinted from Hablanian's work that should be blown up and posted on the wall of any lab or facility using diffusion pumps. Over the past 6 or 7 years, this reviewer may have recommended a few hundred times that correspondents look at that diagram to answer some practical problem in thin film work. Its implications should be 'burned' into the memories by all the process engineers supervising diffusion pumped production systems.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 - Introduction	Chapter 9 - Turbomolecular pumps
Chapter 2 - Applications	Chapter 10 - Cryopumps
Chapter 3 - Some relevant physical concepts	Chapter 11 - Sorption and getter pumps
Chapter 4 - Vacuum measurement	Chapter 12 - Vacuum system components and valves
Chapter 5 - Identification of gases present	Chapter 13 - Considerations in system design
Chapter 6 - Oil-sealed mechanical rotary pumps	Chapter 14 - Vacuum for chemical processes
Chapter 7 - Oil-free mechanical primary pumps	Chapter 15 - Vacuum leak detection
Chapter 8 - Diffusion pumps and accessories	Chapter 16 - Guide to the safe use of vacuum equipment
Questions and answers
Appendicies
Index

Ordering Table

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