Application
Vacuum pumps for load lock chambers and locks
A load lock chamber transfers wafers, glass or other substrates into a vacuum system without venting the process chamber behind it: the small lock is vented, loaded and pumped down again in every cycle. The vacuum must be reached quickly ā Pfeiffer Vacuum names 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa and load locks that stay particle-free under vacuum; Busch names the transfer of wafers without a pressure surge. Below you can see how the application works, what vacuum the manufacturers name and which of their series are intended for it ā 122 models from 5 manufacturers.
Compare 122 modelsHow it works
- 122Models
- 9Series
- 5Manufacturers
- 10ā»Ā¹ā10ā»Ā² hPaLoad lock pressure (Pfeiffer Vacuum)
Touch the points: each part of the system explains itself.
In short
Load lock chambers: the key facts
- Load lock pressureFor load lock and transfer chambers, Pfeiffer Vacuum names 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa and load locks that stay particle-free under vacuum.
- Pumping speedFor load locks and transfer, Pfeiffer Vacuum names the A 100 L and A 200 L with 100 and 200 mĀ³/h respectively.
- Short cyclesFor load lock chambers, Edwards names rapid cycle evacuation with EXS, Leybold short cycles with RUVAC WA/WAU and WS/WSU, Pfeiffer Vacuum fast pump-down.
- No pressure surgeFor solar cell production, Busch names the transfer of wafers without a pressure surge with COBRA NX/DS, PANDA WV and PUMA WY.
Operating principle
How it works: Load lock chambers
The drawing shows the basic principle in section. The systems and pumps of the individual manufacturers differ in detail.
- LoadingThe outer door opens at atmospheric pressure, the wafer or substrate is placed inside and the door closes; the transfer valve to the process chamber stays closed.
- Pump-downThe pumping station evacuates the lock to the transfer pressure ā according to Pfeiffer Vacuum, 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa ā as quickly as possible (Edwards: rapid cycle evacuation, Leybold: short cycles) and, according to Busch, without a pressure surge.
- TransferThe transfer valve opens, the substrate is handed over to the process chamber and the valve closes; the lock is vented and the next cycle begins.
Vacuum and sizing
Load lock chambers: how much vacuum is needed
What the manufacturers say about pressure, pumping speed and sizing.
Which vacuum
For load lock and transfer chambers, Pfeiffer Vacuum names 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa.
Which pumping speed
Pfeiffer Vacuum names the A 100 L with 100 mĀ³/h and the A 200 L with 200 mĀ³/h. On speed, Edwards names rapid cycle evacuation with EXS, Leybold short cycles with RUVAC, Pfeiffer Vacuum fast pump-down. On its semiconductor page, Busch assigns load lock and transfer to the simple processes.
What determines the sizing
Cycle time and lock volume determine the pumping speed; for short cycles, Leybold names the Roots pumps RUVAC WA/WAU and WS/WSU upstream of the SCREWLINE. Busch names transfer without a pressure surge, Pfeiffer Vacuum particle-free load locks ā particles would land on the wafer.
Technology
Load lock chambers: the vacuum pumps the manufacturers name
Listed are the series the manufacturer itself names for this application. āShow only ā¦ā sets the filter of the product overview.
Screw vacuum pumps
77 models Ā· 70ā7,385 mĀ³/h
Roots vacuum pumps
45 models Ā· 100ā12,000 mĀ³/h
Product overview
Load lock chambers: all 122 models compared
Use the filters on the left to narrow the selection ā by manufacturer, technology and the modelsā key figures, for 50 or 60 Hz.
Atlas Copco DWS VSD+ series 6 models
Busch COBRA Industry series 36 models
COBRA NS 0070 CPumping speed 70 mĀ³/h 50 Hz85 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.03 mbarRated motor power 4 kW 50 Hz4.4 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0100 BPumping speed 110 mĀ³/h 50 Hz130 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 3.5 kW 50 Hz4.8 kW 60 HzVariants 4
COBRA NC 0100 B ECOTORQUEPumping speed 130 mĀ³/h 50 Hz130 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 4.8 kW 50 Hz4.8 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NS 0160 CPumping speed 135 mĀ³/h 50 Hz170 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.03 mbarRated motor power 5.5 kW 50 Hz6.6 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0200 BPumping speed 220 mĀ³/h 50 Hz265 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 6 kW 50 Hz7.6 kW 60 HzVariants 4
COBRA NC 0200 B ECOTORQUEPumping speed 265 mĀ³/h 50 Hz265 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 7.6 kW 50 Hz7.6 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0300 BPumping speed 320 mĀ³/h 50 Hz385 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 7.5 kW 50 Hz9.5 kW 60 HzVariants 4
COBRA NC 0400 BPumping speed 350 mĀ³/h 50 Hz420 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 7.5 kW 50 Hz9.5 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NX 0450 APumping speed 350 mĀ³/h 50 Hz420 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.1 mbarRated motor power 7.5 kW 50 Hz9.5 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0300 B ECOTORQUEPumping speed 385 mĀ³/h 50 Hz385 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 9.5 kW 50 Hz9.5 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0400 B ECOTORQUEPumping speed 420 mĀ³/h 50 Hz420 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.05 mbarRated motor power 9.5 kW 50 Hz9.5 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NX 0450 A ECOTORQUEPumping speed 420 mĀ³/h 50 Hz420 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.1 mbarRated motor power 11 kW 50 Hz11 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0500 BPumping speed 490 mĀ³/h 50 Hz490 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.01 mbarRated motor power 9 kW 50 Hz9 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0630 C VRPumping speed 580 mĀ³/h 50 Hz680 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 25 mbarRated motor power 22 kW 50 Hz22 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NS 0600 CPumping speed 600 mĀ³/h 50 Hz600 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.01 mbarRated motor power 15 kW 50 Hz15 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0630 CPumping speed 630 mĀ³/h 50 Hz630 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.01 mbarRated motor power 15 kW 50 Hz17 kW 60 HzVariants 
COBRA NC 0630 C ECOTORQUEPumping speed 630 mĀ³/h 50 Hz630 mĀ³/h 60 HzUltimate pressure 0.01 mbarRated motor power 17 kW 50 Hz17 kW 60 HzVariants Busch COBRA Semicon series 22 models
Busch PANDA/PUMA series 26 models
Edwards EXS series 11 models
Leybold RUVAC WA/WAU series 8 models
Leybold RUVAC WS/WSU series 8 models
Leybold SCREWLINE series 2 models
Pfeiffer Vacuum A 100/200 L series 3 models
No model matches these filters.
Atlas Copco DWS VSD+ series 6 models
Busch COBRA Industry series 36 models
Busch COBRA Semicon series 22 models
Busch PANDA/PUMA series 26 models
Edwards EXS series 11 models
Leybold RUVAC WA/WAU series 8 models
Leybold RUVAC WS/WSU series 8 models
Leybold SCREWLINE series 2 models
Pfeiffer Vacuum A 100/200 L series 3 models
Models a manufacturer no longer carries in its current range are listed in its āOutdated modelsā section.
Industries
Load lock chambers: where the manufacturers name it
The manufacturers list these uses on their own pages.
Semiconductors, electronics and displays
On its semiconductor page, Busch assigns load lock and transfer to the simple processes and names COBRA; for load lock and transfer chambers, Pfeiffer Vacuum names the A 100 L and A 200 L (100 and 200 mĀ³/h respectively, 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa), COBRA DS and, on the TORRI family page, the load lock.
Solar and photovoltaics
For solar cell production, Busch names the transfer of wafers without a pressure surge with COBRA NX/DS, PANDA WV and PUMA WY.
Frequently asked questions
Load lock chambers: frequently asked questions
What is a load lock chamber?
A load lock chamber is the lock of a vacuum system: a small chamber between the atmosphere and the process chamber that is vented, loaded and pumped down again in every cycle. This keeps the process chamber permanently under vacuum. Pfeiffer Vacuum names 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa for this; according to Busch, wafers are thus transferred in without a pressure surge.
How does a load lock chamber in a vacuum system work?
The outer door opens, the substrate is placed inside, the door closes and the pumping station evacuates the lock to the transfer pressure; then the transfer valve to the process chamber opens, the substrate is handed over and the lock is vented for the next cycle. Both valves are never open at the same time. Edwards names rapid cycle evacuation for this, Leybold short cycles.
How much vacuum does a load lock chamber need?
For load lock and transfer chambers, Pfeiffer Vacuum names 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa. Edwards, Leybold and Pfeiffer Vacuum also stress how quickly the pressure must be reached.
Which vacuum pump for load lock chambers?
Pfeiffer Vacuum names the A 100 L and A 200 L with 100 and 200 mĀ³/h respectively, as well as COBRA DS; Busch names COBRA (NX, DS, NC), PANDA WV and PUMA WY, and on its product page COBRA Industry and COBRA Semicon; Edwards names EXS for rapid cycle evacuation, Leybold SCREWLINE with RUVAC WA/WAU and WS/WSU, Atlas Copco DWS VSD+.
Why a Roots pump for load lock chambers?
For load lock chambers, Leybold names the Roots pumps RUVAC WA/WAU and WS/WSU together with the SCREWLINE and gives the short cycles as the reason; with PANDA WV and PUMA WY, Busch also names Roots pumps. A Roots pump upstream of the backing pump considerably increases the pumping speed at low pressures and thus shortens the time to reach the transfer pressure.
Oil-free or oil-lubricated for load lock chambers?
The series named are dry-running: Edwards EXS and Atlas Copco DWS VSD+ are screw vacuum pumps, as is Leybold SCREWLINE, Busch COBRA is a screw pump and PANDA/PUMA are Roots pumps, Pfeiffer Vacuum A 100/200 L are multi-stage Roots pumps ā matching the particle-free load locks that Pfeiffer Vacuum names.
How fast must a load lock be pumped down?
Edwards speaks of rapid cycle evacuation, Leybold of short cycles, Pfeiffer Vacuum of fast pump-down to 10ā»Ā¹ to 10ā»Ā² hPa. The cycle time follows from the cycle rate of the system; this and the lock volume give the required pumping speed.
Why must no pressure surge occur during transfer through the lock?
For load lock chambers in solar cell production, Busch names the transfer of wafers without a pressure surge, Pfeiffer Vacuum load locks that stay particle-free under vacuum. A sudden rise in pressure during venting or too fast an initial pump-down stirs up particles that can settle on the wafer.
Which vacuum pump for load locks in solar cell production?
For solar cell production, Busch names COBRA NX and DS, PANDA WV and PUMA WY, with which wafers are transferred in without a pressure surge. For load lock chambers in general, Atlas Copco names DWS VSD+, Edwards EXS, Leybold SCREWLINE and RUVAC.
A single pump or a central vacuum system?
A central system in a room of its own keeps noise and heat away from production and matches its output to the demand. Central vacuum systems are planned and built by Eugen Theis Vakuum, a company of the Ehrler & Beck group ā more under Central Vacuum.
Does Ehrler & Beck also supply spare parts and service?
Yes. Ehrler & Beck offers original spare parts and accessories as well as maintenance and repair.
Which pump suits your process?
Tell us the application, the medium and the volume ā we advise you on selection, spare parts and service.
