Turn on the vacuum pump by turning on the power bar and open the valve.
Press AC ON.
Switch Selector to RF Set Point.
Set RF Set Point to zero.
Switch Selector to Pressure.
Set timer to 5 min.
Make sure the chamber is clean. Use ethanol wipes as necessary.
Place sample in chamber.
Press Vacuum. You may have to hold the door in place to ensure a proper seal. Make sure the door is well centered, a misaligned door will cause the chamber to leak.
Ensure the Tuning Auto/Man button is not pressed (light is off).
Once the pressure falls below 0.5 Torr, press Process Start.
Turn on gas line by flipping GAS 1 toggle switch up; Note that GAS 2 is connected to the outside of the cleanroom by a tube, for use with argon.
Let the pressure go down until 0.85 torr.
Turn off the gas line.
Press Process Abort.
Switch Selector to RF Set Point.
Adjust the RF Set Point rotating the knob (30W recommended).
Press Tuning Auto/Man (light turns on).
Rotate Selector to Pressure.
Set the timer as desired (30s recommended). Press Process Abort to reset timer.
Press Process Start, once the pressure reading is below 0.5 Torr. Your process will begin.
Turn gas line on IMMEDIATELY by flipping GAS 1 toggle switch up; You may press Abort Process if you want to terminate manually.
IMPORTANT: Make sure the pressure stabilizes between 0.8-1.3 Torr during your process. Multiple “beeps” indicate you’re operating outside this range. If pressure is incorrect, immediately abort, and make sure you went through all the steps. ALSO IMPORTANT: Never, ever rotate any knobs on the black box. System flow rate has been carefully calibrated. Only flipping toggle switches up and down is allowed.
Stop
Stop gas flow.
Press Vacuum to vent to atmosphere. Make sure GAS 3 toggle switch is up, as chamber now vents through the black box. You can leave it open at all times.
Remove sample.
Make sure the chamber is clean. Use ethanol wipes as necessary.
Turn off the machine.
Close the valve.
Turn off the vacuum pump (power bar).
Having problems with the system? Talk to Jason or Dominique. They will help you for troubleshooting.