Balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Hugo Frei

Peter Keller

Jurgen Ramm

Eugen Beck

Martin Boesch

Albert Zueger

Gunter Peter

A vacuum valve is used in vacuum systems having connectors including an internally threaded system component with connector seal, a KF-thread flange with connector seal, and a nut collar with clamping rings and pipe. The valve includes one valve case with an interior and at least two spaced apart openings communicating with the interior. The case defines a valve seat and has a valve member movable in the interior and into positions against the valve seat and away from the valve seat to close and open the valve. A driver is connected to the valve case for moving the valve member. A separate externally threaded nipple is provided around each opening and special sealing surfaces are on each nipple for connection to each of the vacuum system connectors in a vacuum-tight manner.

Vacuum valve

A vacuum valve has a valve stem with a magnetic drive for moving the valve stem in the opening direction of the valve. A piston configuration is connected to the valve stem and is enclosed within a double-cylinder configuration. Overflow or inflow/outflow lines connected between the two chambers of the double-cylinder configuration, contain flow conductance value setting elements such as valves or filters, for setting a damping effect on movement of the piston configuration, thus damping movement of the valve stem.

A cathode chamber (1) with a thermionic cathode (3) generates a low-voltage arc discharge in a vacuum treatment chamber (11). Arcing on wall portions of the treatment chamber (11) is prevented by providing a screen (20), operated so as to be electrically floating, in the region of a diaphragm (9), through which diaphragm (9) the discharge is drawn from the cathode chamber (1) into the treatment chamber (11). The discharge is ignited by impressing portions of the cathode chamber wall with the ignition potential, with respect to the potential of the cathode (3).

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Werdenberg, Switzerland

Hugo Frei