Vacuum Techniques

Vacuum systems are almost ubiquitous in modern physics laboratories. This workshop will focus on both the practical applications and underlying physics of the technology for attaining and holding high vacuum, pressure measurement, flow-rate calculations, outgassing and base-pressure calculations, bakeout strategies, and leak detection.

We will also cover the essential physics behind thin-film deposition, and participants will use thermal evaporation to deposit a thin film of a normal metal on a dielectric substrate. While this technique is very simple and accessible to students, the essential physics is the same as that which is involved in sputtering or pulsed-laser deposition of more sophisticated materials.