Abstract: A station for measuring airborne molecular contamination includes at least one gas analyzer to measure a concentration of at least one contaminant, a plurality of air inlets to be in fluidic communication with the gas analyzer and to be connected to a respective plurality of sampling lines, a plurality of first controllable isolation valves interposed between the plurality of air inlets and the gas analyzer, and a control unit to control the opening or the closure of the first controllable isolation valves in order to place the gas analyzer in fluidic communication with at least one sampling line. The control unit also commands a verification of the accuracy of the analyzer when the concentration of a contaminant greater than a predetermined threshold is detected by the analyzer.

Abstract: A method measures airborne molecular contamination via a measuring station including at least one first and one second gas analysers, at least one sampling line, and at least one valve. The method includes measuring molecular contamination concentrations in the sampling line by the first gas analyser for a first predefined time, fluidic isolation between the first gas analyser and the sampling line via at least one valve, and measuring molecular contamination concentrations in the sampling line by the second gas analyser for a second predefined time.

Abstract: A turbomolecular vacuum pump including a stator and a rotor designed to rotate in the stator. The rotor includes a hub and at least one blade stage including blades distributed regularly about the periphery of the hub. The blades of at least one blade stage of the rotor are hollow.

Abstract: A measuring station for measuring airborne molecular contamination includes at least one gas analyzer and at least one sampling line fluidically connected to an inlet of the gas analyzer. The station includes at least one sampling pump arranged upstream of the gas analyzer in the flow direction of a gas flow to be pumped, and the sampling pump has a suction side fluidically connected to the at least one sampling line and a discharge side fluidically connected to the inlet of the gas analyzer. The sampling pump is able to draw a gas flow from the sampling line, and to discharge the gas flow at atmospheric pressure +/?50 hPa, preferably +/?30 hPa.

Abstract: A measurement station for measuring particle contamination in a transport enclosure for the atmospheric transport and storage of semiconductor wafers includes a particle counter and an interface designed to be coupled to the shell of a transport enclosure in place of the door. The interface includes a sampling orifice fluidly connected to the particle counter. The measurement station also includes a clean-gas injection device having at least one injection line including at least one injection nozzle to be fluidly connected to a ventilation port of the transport enclosure coupled to the interface for injecting clean gas into the transport enclosure, from outside the transport enclosure, through the at least one ventilation port of the transport enclosure.

Abstract: A turbomolecular vacuum pump including a stator and a rotor designed to rotate in the stator. The rotor includes a hub and at least one blade stage including blades distributed regularly about the periphery of the hub. The blades of at least one blade stage of the rotor are hollow.

Abstract: A vacuum line and method for controlling a vacuum line in which an auxiliary pumping device and a diluent gas injection device are controlled according to a first operating mode in which the pressure prevailing in the discharge pipe is maintained at less than or equal to 20,000 Pa or according to a second operating mode in which the pressure prevailing in the discharge pipe is greater than 20,000 Pa, and the injection of a diluent gas into the stream of the pumped gases is controlled, downstream of an intake of the rough pumping device, such as into the discharge pipe and/or into the rough pumping device and/or into the auxiliary pumping device by the diluent gas injection device in the second operating mode. This reduces the potential for explosion in the vacuum line via injection of diluent gas to lower flammable gas concentration.

Abstract: A turbomolecular vacuum pump includes a stator, a rotor to rotate inside the stator, and a motor to drive the rotation of the rotor. The turbomolecular vacuum pump further includes a temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the rotor and a creep maintenance meter to determine an incremental change in the creep of the rotor over a predetermined duration from the temperature of the rotor, as measured by the temperature sensor, from the rotational speed of the rotor, from the value of the creep of the rotor, and from the look-up table, to increment the rotor-creep value by the determined creep increment, and to determine, based on the incremented creep value, a data item indicative of the remaining time for which the rotor can run before needing preventive maintenance for creep.

Abstract: A turbomolecular vacuum pump includes a stator, a rotor to rotate inside the stator, and a motor to drive the rotation of the rotor. The turbomolecular vacuum pump further includes a temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the rotor and a creep maintenance meter to determine an incremental change in the creep of the rotor over a predetermined duration from the temperature of the rotor, as measured by the temperature sensor, from the rotational speed of the rotor, from the value of the creep of the rotor, and from the look-up table, to increment the rotor-creep value by the determined creep increment, and to determine, based on the incremented creep value, a data item indicative of the remaining time for which the rotor can run before needing preventive maintenance for creep.

Abstract: A measurement station for measuring airborne molecular contamination includes at least one gas analyser, at least two controllable isolation valves connected in parallel to the input of the at least one gas analyser, a conditioning pump, at least two calibrated orifices connected in parallel to the input of the conditioning pump, at least one distributor to connect each controllable isolation valve with, on one side, a sampling line and, on the other side, a calibrated orifice, and a control unit linked to the controllable isolation valves. The control unit commands the opening or the closing of the controllable isolation valves in order to be able to connect the at least one gas analyser with at least one sampling line.

Abstract: A heating device is for a vacuum line in which pumped gases are intended to circulate. The heating device includes at least one radiating body to radiate in the infrared when it is heated to a temperature above 150° C. The at least one radiating body is arranged in the pumping path of the gases.

Abstract: A sniffer probe for a leak detector for monitoring the leaktightness of an object to be tested by tracer gas includes an end piece created in the form of a rigid tube, a housing, a connection member connecting the end piece to the housing, and a sampling duct to sample a gas at a first end of the end piece. The connection member includes a main body that is elastically deformable such that it can adopt a deformed position, making it possible for the end piece to pivot when acted upon by a force and to return to the initial rest position.

Abstract: A setting method includes setting the conductances of the controllable restrictions of an airborne molecular contamination measurement station. The setting method includes an initial identification step, prior to the carrying-out of an airborne molecular contamination measurement step, and during which the sampling line that has the lowest conductance when the conductance of the controllable restriction of the said sampling line is set to its maximum value is determined, and an initial conductance-setting step prior to the carrying-out of the measurement step and after the initial identification step, and during which the conductances of the controllable restrictions are set to make them correspond to the lowest conductance determined in the initial identification step. Further, a measurement station is provided for measuring airborne molecular contamination.

Abstract: A heating device is for a vacuum line in which pumped gases are intended to circulate. The heating device includes at least one radiating body to radiate in the infrared when it is heated to a temperature above 150° C. The at least one radiating body is arranged in the pumping path of the gases.

Abstract: A turbomolecular vacuum pump drives gases to be pumped from a suction orifice to a discharge orifice. In the turbomolecular vacuum pump, the surface of the internal bowl of the rotor arranged facing the shell of the stator capable of being cooled exhibits a higher emissivity than the outer surface of the rotor in fluidic communication with the pumped gases and/or the surface of the shell of the stator capable of being cooled arranged facing the internal bowl of the rotor exhibits a higher emissivity than the outer surface of the rotor in fluidic communication with the pumped gases.

Abstract: A pump unit includes a rough-vacuum pump and a Roots vacuum pump connected in series and upstream of the rough-vacuum pump in the direction of flow of the pumped gases. The Roots vacuum pump has three pumping stages in which the rotors are designed to be driven simultaneously in rotation by a motor of the Roots vacuum pump. A ratio of the flow rate generated by the first pumping stage of the rough-vacuum pump in the direction of flow of the pumped gases over the flow rate generated by the last pumping stage of the rough-vacuum pump is less than or equal to four.

Abstract: A dry vacuum pump has a stator (2) and two rotors (5) that are accommodated in at least one compression chamber (3) of the stator (2), the rotors (5) being configured to rotate synchronously in opposite directions so as to drive a gas to be pumped between an intake and a delivery of the vacuum pump. The rotors (5) and the compression chamber (3) of the stator (2) are coated with a nickel-phosphorus coating (11) comprising between 9% and 14% phosphorus and having a thickness greater than 20 ?m, the nickel-phosphorus coating (11) having undergone a hardening heat treatment comprising a step of heating to a treatment temperature greater than 250° C. for a treatment duration greater than one hour, so as to have a hardness greater than 700 HV.

Abstract: A station for measuring airborne molecular contamination includes: at least one gas analyser; a conditioning pump; and a sequencing unit including a sequencing program defining an order for the measurements to be performed for at least two sampling lines, the sequencing unit being configured to control the connection of a sampling line to be measured, the measurement of which is programmed to follow that of a sampling line being measured, with the conditioning pump, while controlling the connection of the sampling line being measured with the at least one gas analyser. A method for measuring airborne molecular contamination using such a station is also disclosed.

Abstract: A vacuum line and method for controlling a vacuum line in which an auxiliary pumping device and a diluent gas injection device are controlled according to a first operating mode in which the pressure prevailing in the discharge pipe is maintained at less than or equal to 20,000 Pa or according to a second operating mode in which the pressure prevailing in the discharge pipe is greater than 20,000 Pa, and the injection of a diluent gas into the stream of the pumped gases is controlled, downstream of an intake of the rough pumping device, such as into the discharge pipe and/or into the rough pumping device and/or into the auxiliary pumping device by the diluent gas injection device in the second operating mode.

Abstract: A dry-type primary vacuum pump includes an injection device to distribute a purging gas in the pumping stages. The injection device includes: a first pressure sensor arranged on a common portion of the distributor, a second pressure sensor arranged on each branch of the distributor, and a control unit to generate a pulse width modulation command signal for the control of the regulation valves independently of one another as a function of the pressure measurement differences between the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensors.