Vacuum system construction

Vacuum technology is a cornerstone in both industrial and research and development settings, particularly where precise environmental control is essential for high-performance processes and measurements. In academia, national laboratories, and industrial R&D, researchers constructing their own systems rely on vacuum environments for applications such as surface science, thin film deposition, semiconductor fabrication, quantum materials research, and high-resolution microscopy. Fields like materials science, condensed matter physics, aerospace, and nanotechnology frequently require custom ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems. For these customers, the ability to design and build modular, application-specific vacuum systems, often integrating deposition, analysis, and sample handling tools, is essential to advancing experimental capabilities and maintaining the flexibility to adapt to evolving research goals.

VSM Instruments is ideally placed to assist customers with the construction of systems and works with a range of suppliers to offer anything from single components to whole kits of parts. Our range includes:

  • Standard vacuum components and adapters
  • viewports
  • pressure gauges
  • turbo and backing pumps
  • Custom chambers in a range of materials
  • bakeout equipment
  • sample handling and manipulation / motion products
  • viewports
  • Vacuum valves including leak valves and gate valves

Relevant products

Heating tapes for bake out

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Gate Valves

We offer a full range of HV and UHV-compatible gate valves in a range of flange sizes and flange standards including CF, KF and ISO. Options are available for manual or pneumatic actuation as well as limit switches and position indicators.

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Angle Valves

We offer a full range of HV and UHV-compatible angle valves in a range of flange sizes and flange standards including CF, KF and ISO. Valves can be configured with different combinations of metal or O-ring seals depending on the application. Options are available for manual or pneumatic actuation as well as limit switches and position indicators. All our angled valves have a bellows around the actuation mechanism.

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VBMDS40 Transfer rod DN40CF

High quality UHV magnetically-coupled transfer rod with rotation and linear motion. Standard travels from 100-1000mm in 100mm increments.

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VBPM12 Series Dual Bellows UHV XYZ Manipulators

The PM12 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN100CF base flange and a DN63CF moving flange. They offer +/-12.5mm travel in XY and up to 1 metre in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 39mm and a support bearing for a 38mm diameter insert (other diameters on request). The manipulator has a maximum 30kg load on the z axis. A range of made-to-fit cryostats, sample stages and rotation stages are also available.

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Shimadzu TMP B300 Turbo Pump

The Shimadzu B300 Turbo Pump is a high-performance, compact, and reliable 300l/s turbomolecular pump designed for demanding vacuum applications. It offers excellent pumping speed and compression ratios suitable for a wide range of processes in research, industry, and electronics. This size of pump is typically suitable for smaller vacuum chambers such as load locks. Key advantages include:

  • Combination of ceramic and magnetic bearings for long service intervals and lower running costs
  • Suitable for UHV pressures in combination with a small dry backing pump
  • Integrated controller allows simple push button operation, or optional display unit for detailed operating information
  • High compression ratio for optimised operation with light gases
  • Mountable in any orientation
  • Fast delivery times
  • Low power consumption and heat generation
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Kashiyama NeoDry E series roots backing pump

The Kashiyama E series pumps offer considerable advantages over a traditional dry scroll pump. They operate by means of two counter-rotating multi-stage root rotors which operate without contact. They are completely dry, particulate free and air cooled. Above all they are much quieter in operation than a dry scroll pump.

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Kodial Glass Viewports

Kodial viewports are seen as the default standard for vacuum viewports when no special optical properties are needed except for transmission at visible wavelengths in order to see inside a vacuum chamber.

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Ion Sources

We have several ion source options in our product range including a simple robust ion source for sample preparation on small (typically flag-style) samples. Our more advanced IQE12 series sources can also be used for sample cleaning but offer focus and raster capability with depth profiling and ISS (Ion Scattering Spectroscopy) or SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) applications in mind (an optional Wien mass filter is available for the latter two applications). A version of IQE12 is available for applications where a beam of low energy ions is needed for charge neutralisation. The sources are based on extractor technology with a yttrium oxide coated iridium filament making them suitable for both reactive and inert gases.

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Effusion cells (Evaporators, “K-cells”)

Effusion Cells are used in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) evaporation systems, for example in MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy) to generate ultrapure molecular and atomic beams from a large variety of elements and compounds. They are sometimes known as K-Cells or Knudsen Cells. In the product table you can see a range of different cells we can offer to evaporate almost every material. Temperatures range from: -60 °C to 2400 °C

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SPECS Transfer tool with M6 mounting

SPECS Transfer tool for SPECS-style flag sample holders

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VBLDK Series Linear feedthroughs

Available in three flange sizes from DN16 CF to DN63CF and travels from 50-150mm (25mm for DN16CF), this simple, low cost hand-operated mechanism provides linear motion by operation of a knurled knob.

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VBPD Series Bellows-Sealed Rotary Feedthroughs

Our VBPD series feedthroughs are equipped with a bellows-sealed, mechanically-coupled shaft in a variety of flange sizes and vacuum side length options. They are capable of full 360º rotation and can be operated manually or optionally by 2 phase stepper motor.

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