Ion pump

For a protein that moves ions across a plasma membrane, see ion transporter. An ion pump is not to be confused with an ionic liquid piston pump or an ionic liquid-ring vacuum pump.
IonPumpHead

An ion pump (also referred to as a sputter ion pump) is a type of vacuum pump which operates by sputtering a metal getter. Under ideal conditions, ion pumps are capable of reaching pressures as low as 10−11 mbar.[1] An ion pump first ionizes gas within the vessel it is attached to and employs a strong electrical potential, typically 3–7 kV, which accelerates the ions into a solid electrode. Small bits of the electrode are sputtered into the chamber. Gasses are trapped by a combination of chemical reactions with the surface of the highly-reactive sputtered material, and being physically trapped underneath that material.

  1. ^ "Ion Pumps" (PDF). Agilent. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-17.