A versatile and reliably re-usable ultrahigh vacuum viewport

TL;DR

This paper introduces a versatile, highly reliable ultrahigh vacuum viewport with improved long-term performance, leak tightness, and simplified sealing options, suitable for advanced UHV applications.

Contribution

It presents a modified solder seal viewport design with enhanced durability and leak performance, including a simplified sealing method directly to vacuum pipes.

Findings

Leak tested to less than 10^-10 atm cm^3/s

Achieved a trap lifetime of 9.5 seconds in an optical dipole trap

Demonstrated a simplified UHV seal directly to a vacuum pipe

Abstract

We present a viewport for use in Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) based upon the preflattened solder seal design presented in earlier work, Cox et al. Rev. Sci. Inst. 74, 3185 (2003). The design features significant modifications to improve long term performance. The windows have been leak tested to less than 10^-10 atm cm^3/s . From atom number measurements in an optical dipole trap loaded from a vapor cell magneto-optical trap (MOT) inside a vacuum chamber accommodating these viewports, we measure a trap lifetime of 9.5s suggesting a pressure of around 10^-10 Torr limited by background Rubidium vapor pressure. We also present a simplified design where the UHV seal is made directly to a vacuum pipe