www.entropyltd.

net

Technical Alert:

VISCOUS FLOW PROCESSING DELIVERS 100 X REDUCTION

IN GAS RESIDUALS

ENTROPY LTD CAN DESIGN AN INDUSTRIAL SIZED SYSTEM

for vacuum processing of temperature sensitive devices.

This process in fact can deliver < 100 ppm total

residuals in 24 hours while device bake out temperature
never exceeds 100 C! Compare this with 4-6 percent
residuals for standard vacuum processing.
ENTROPY LTD LLC

pcyoung@entropyltd.net

entropyltd@att.net

Recent advancements for mechanically strong, hermetic sealing technology

has produced very high performance polymeric seals for vacuum device. The
advent of Polymeric seals has advanced and expanded the size and complexity of
electro optical devices; or any device that requires retention of a vacuum or a
hermetic barrier from atmospheric exposure.

Vacuum processing of these typically required attaching them to a vacuum

station specially designed to attain high or ultra high vacuum. This process requires
large conductance feed through and high bake out temperature of the device
requiring processing. When very low residual contaminants are required; very long
process times are necessary on the order of days.

With the advent of sophisticated, mechanically resilient, high temperature

(150 C continuous) polymeric seals; the potential exists for ever more complex and
compact electro optical devices. Unfortunately standard high vacuum processing
places constraints on the conductance of the vacuum interface requiring it to be as
large as possible otherwise residuals and process time prohibits the ultimate
attainable vacuum.

ENTROPY LTD has developed a novel approach to achieve high vacuum (50
ppm total gas residuals) in polymeric sealed devices within a 24 hour TOTAL
PROCESS TIME and the device bake out temperature never exceeds 100 C!!!
 Compare this to the 4-6 percent total residuals for standard vacuum
processing.

If your company has a vacuum device requiring < 100 ppm total residuals
ENTROPY LTD can provide a solution with our new viscous flow processing system.

ENTROPY LTD has expertise in developing custom polymeric seals utilizing

nano particle in conjunction with ceramic or glass formulations. These seals can be
engineered to have ultra low permeation rates for atmospheric gases. Other
mechanical and physical properties can be engineered using our expertise in seal
technology.

Entropy LTD LLC has devised a low temperature vacuum processing

system that does not require device bake out temperatures any greater
than 100 C. Process is capable of <100 ppm total gas residuals (compared
with ~ 5.6 % residuals using std vac process) in under 24 hours (includes
heating and cooling cycles). This is nearly 100 times better than standard
UHV vacuum processing.

VISCOUS FLOW (copyright 2008) PROCESSING RESULTS - ENTROPY LTD LLC

1000
Total Concentration of Residuals in PPM

900

Cn 100

19
10
10 20 30 40
12 tn 50

Time In Hours
Residual Conc in pp m

Numbers based on the summation of several experiments performed on prototype

and completed v
 The residual gases measured were Hydrogen, Water, Oxygen, Nitrogen & CO,
Argon and CO2.

The relative difference between the two processes was 5.5/0.060=91

There are some elements of this process that are proprietary however a
discussion of the general principles involved will assist in a better understanding of
how this system can achieve these results.

Metallic seals can form excellent hermetic seals good to 10 e-10 torr cc per
second leak rate of Helium. However, soldering, brazing and welding generate
issues relative to the high temperatures necessary to affect a good seal.

Cold metal seals such as Indium still require a substantial force to squeeze
the sealant mandating a fairly large seal area and application of forces; putting
further constraints on the design and many times limiting the size of the device due
to the overtly large seal itself.

Polymeric seals on the other hand are not constrained by the above and can
be scaled to the design as long as there is adequate surface area and sufficient
thickness of the polymer to prevent diffusion and or permeation of gases into the
device.polymeric’s has enabled the construction of smaller more complex devices
as metallic seals limit the size and the mechanical design.