With the goal of extending the dynamic range of vacuum sensors to minimize vacuum system complexity and reduce the overall system cost, the SmartPirani vacuum transducer from Sens4 A/S boasts of setting a record for obtaining the lowest measuring point for thermal conductivity gauges by extending the measuring range down to 7.5E-7 Torr (1.0E-6 mbar). Reportedly, this is 1 to 3 decades lower than legacy convection-, wire- and MEMS Pirani sensors and transducers.
In vacuum-based analytical equipment, like electron microscopes and mass spectrometers, vacuum gauges are used to determine the safe pressure for energizing ion sources. It requires a repeatable measurement and vacuum pressure setpoint in the range from 5E-6 to 5E-4 Torr (6.7E-6 to 6.7E-4 mbar) that can be obtained with the SmartPirani transducer and thereby eliminating the cost of ionization gauges, hot filaments and magnetic stray fields.
Industrial physical vapor deposition coating applications use vacuum gauges to verify base pressure, control gas compositions and sputtering process pressure. These applications often create particulate contamination that reduces the lifetime and performance of traditional vacuum gauges. The SmartPirani is offered with a user-serviceable baffle insert that prevents particulate contamination from reaching the sensor element and thereby extends the gauge lifetime and time between equipment service intervals.
Finally, the standard SmartPirani transducer has a compact MEMS-based high-resolution precision diaphragm sensor, that eliminates the well-known gas dependency challenges of Pirani gauges in the rough vacuum regime. The additional diaphragm sensor provides gas independent and high-accuracy measurements in the range from 10 mbar to above atmospheric pressure of 900 Torr (1200 mbar).
For greater knowledge and more details and specs, peruse the SmartPirani datasheet.