We overhaul the pumps, valves, gauges and forelines of used process tools, then measure base pressure and leak-up rate so you know the vacuum will hold your process.
A process tool can only repeat a recipe if its vacuum system reaches the same base pressure, holds the same leak-up rate and controls process pressure the same way every run. On a used tool, those numbers are rarely where the manufacturer left them. Roughing pumps run on old oil or worn tip seals, turbo pump bearings approach the end of their life, throttle valves stick, bellows in isolation valves crack, and capacitance manometers drift out of calibration.
Vacuum system refurbishment brings those parts back to a documented state. Vacuum work is often needed alongside chamber work, and on evaporators, sputter tools and implanters it can be the larger part of the scope.
A vacuum system refurbishment typically covers:
On cryo-pumped tools such as many evaporators and older sputter systems, the cryo pump and its compressor are a separate cost driver, because a compressor that has run for years without service often needs a full overhaul.
The baseline taken before any work means the report shows the difference the overhaul made, not only the final state. For each component the choice is repair or replace. Pumps are assessed on the tool; those that need internal work go to a specialist pump service or are replaced, and the report states which. Valves are rebuilt with new seals and, where they have failed, new bellows. Gauges are compared with a reference gauge and replaced if they read outside tolerance.
If the tool still uses oil-sealed roughing pumps on a corrosive or toxic process, we will usually suggest a dry pump conversion at the same time.
On a single-chamber tool done on site, downtime is set mostly by pump service turnaround and by any valve or gauge parts that need to be ordered. Swapping in loan or exchange pumps can shorten it. We list the planned downtime and any long-lead parts in the quote.
You receive the before and after measurements, the leak-check record, pump service records and a list of everything replaced. These figures go into the inspection report and the condition grade on tools we sell, and they give your own staff a baseline for preventive maintenance. The work applies to deposition tools such as evaporators and sputter systems, and to etch, implant and furnace platforms.
We measure base pressure, pump-down time and leak-up rate before touching anything.
An engineer helium leak-checks the chamber, valves, feedthroughs and foreline to find every leak.
We service or replace pumps, valves and gauges and renew seals and bellows that have failed.
We repeat the baseline measurements and calibrate or replace gauges that read out of tolerance.
150 mm (6 in) · 2000s–2020s
It shows how fast pressure rises when the chamber is isolated from its pumps, which combines real leaks and outgassing. A rising leak-up rate is usually the first sign of a failing seal, valve or feedthrough.
We assess turbo pumps on the tool and send those that need bearing or rotor work to a specialist pump service, or replace them. The report says which route was taken for each pump.
Yes. That is a dry pump conversion, which we scope as an upgrade alongside the vacuum work so the foreline is opened only once.
All pressure gauges in the process and foreline path, including capacitance manometers, Pirani and ionisation gauges. Capacitance manometers that control process pressure get the most attention, because their accuracy sets your recipe pressure.
When a dry pump conversion pays off on an etcher, CVD tool or evaporator, how to size the replacement and what changes in facilities and interlocks.
Pumps, power supplies, source count, targets and installation shape the real cost of a used sputter tool. What to put in the budget before you ask for quotes.
As-is, Inspected, Refurbished, Certified or new. What each option actually includes, where the risk sits, and how to match it to your lab.
Tell us the tool and what you need. We scope the work and send a written offer.