Does anyone know of a method with which to reliably move components in a cryogenic environment? We are interested in moving detectors in a cryogenically cooled (2K) vacuum chamber, which is contained within a larger cryostat/isolation vacuum with thermal shields. As the desired horizontal or vertical displacement is between 10 cm to 40 cm depending on the detector, this excludes the use of both kinds of vacuum bellows (where we have been told by companies that the welded ones which would offer the flexibility we need would become brittle and not remain vacuum tight, and the ‘wave’ ones don’t offer enough flexibility).
We also have two additional requirements: that the components inside the 2K chambers must be suitable for high vacuum environments (very low out-gassing rates, even at room-temperature) and be bakeable (preferably to temperatures as high as 600K if possible).
Does anyone have any experience or know of someone who moves components in cryogenic environments which might apply to such circumstances?
3 Comments
Scott Courts
August 23, 2012It won’t be a standard product for anyone, but you may be able to make an arm with a magnetically coupled arm similar to those manipulators used in UHV environments.
John Vandore
August 23, 2012I’m corresponding to connect you with my colleagues at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre [ATC] in Edinburgh. The UK ATC is one of the three laboratories in the UK which make up the Science & Technology Facilities Council [STFC] – which is one of 7 Research Councils operated by the UK government. Just to finish the ‘story,’ Cryox acts as a storefront for cryogenic technology coming from STFC.
The team in Edinburgh have an exceptional understanding of the behaviour of mechanisms at low temperatures, and may be able to help you. I will leave it to our colleagues there – Ian Bryson and Dave Melotte – to respond to you directly. I hope the connection may be useful to both institutions.
Robert Chave
August 23, 2012The major factors in choosing a method will be the range of motion you need, the number of axes, the accuracy of motion, the resolution or minimum step size, and whether or not you have knowledge of the location of the sample’s location once you have moved it.
I designed low temperature mechanisms at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for many years, specifically for the Hubble Telescope and for James Web Telescopes, also for neutron beam lines at Los Alamos. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, there may be off-the-shelf solutions.