JPS583591B2 - Method and apparatus for moving objects from gas to vacuum and vice versa - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for moving an object or substance from a gas to a vacuum or vice versa.

There are times when it is necessary to move an object or substance from atmospheric pressure into a vacuum.

For example, when using a mass spectrometer to analyze ions, the ions to be analyzed must be introduced into a vacuum necessary for the operation of the analyzer.

Additionally, certain material processing steps, such as depositing thin films of metal onto materials, are desirably performed in a vacuum.

There are various problems when introducing materials to be processed, ions to be analyzed, etc. into a vacuum chamber in the above-mentioned operations.

For example, in the case of ion analysis, the capacity of conventionally used pumps is limited, so it is necessary to make the inlet of the vacuum chamber extremely small.

Additionally, a batch method was usually used to process materials in a vacuum.

That is, it was necessary to put materials into a vacuum chamber batch by batch, evacuate the vacuum chamber, and after processing, fill the vacuum chamber again with gas, open the vacuum chamber, and take out the materials.

Such methods are time consuming and costly.

In view of these circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for continuously moving an object or substance between gas and vacuum, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

The apparatus of the present invention comprises a vacuum chamber having an opening for introducing and removing a substance or object, and a vacuum chamber having a surface that substantially surrounds a predetermined path through which the substance or object passes through the opening; means for moving the substance or object along the predetermined path within the vacuum chamber; cooling means for cooling a surface within the vacuum chamber to a predetermined temperature; area and its first
partitioning means dividing the region downstream of the region into a second region, the opening having dimensions such that external gas can enter the vacuum chamber when the substance or object passes through the opening. a surface within the vacuum chamber extends across both the first and second regions, the partition means extends at least to a position approaching the inner surface thereof, and the surface is heated to a predetermined temperature. When the gas infiltrated through the opening changes to a solid phase, the pressure in the second region becomes lower than the pressure in the first region, and the substance or object becomes The device is characterized in that it can move between the second areas through the predetermined path.

In one embodiment of the invention, the gas that enters the vacuum chamber along with the substance or object is used to pre-process the substance or object before sending it into the vacuum chamber.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a mass spectrometer using an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the device 2 of this embodiment includes an inner shell 4, an intermediate shell 6, and an outer shell 8.

A mass spectrometer 10 is arranged within its outer shell 8.

The inner shell 4 has a cylindrical or tubular shape with both ends open.

A plurality of current cooling fins 14 are provided on the inner surface of the inner shell 4.
are spaced apart from each other.

Each cooling fin 14 is fixed to the inner shell 4 so as to extend radially inward thereof, thereby expanding the effective cooling area within the inner shell 4 and increasing the effective capture rate of the inner shell 4.

The inner shell 4 is attached to the first cooling part 15 of the cooling mechanism 16 in such a manner that heat transfer between the two is good.

The cooling mechanism 16 has a performance capable of removing 3 watts of heat from the cooling section 15 at a temperature of 20°K.

The intermediate shell 6 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and its rear end is open or its front end 18 is conical.

An opening 20 is provided at the tip of the conical front end 18 .

Near the rear end of the intermediate shell 6, two annular cooling fins 22 extending radially inward are disposed at a distance from each other in the length direction.

The cooling fins 22 capture the radiant heat directed towards the inner shell 4 at 20°K.

The outer surface of the intermediate shell 6 is made of Mylar, which is aluminized to reduce emissivity.
The intermediate shell 6 is covered with a plurality of heat insulating layers 24 made of plastic or the like known under the trade name 6, so that heat radiation to the intermediate shell 6 is reduced.

The intermediate shell 6 is attached to the second cooling part 26 of the cooling mechanism 16.

This second cooling section 26 has a tubular shape and surrounds the first cooling section 15, which protects it from the ambient temperature.

The cooling mechanism 16 receives a temperature of 80°K from this second cooling section 26.
can remove 7 watts of heat.

The outside of the second cooling section 26 is insulated with an aluminum-treated plastic film 28.

The outer shell 8 consists of a generally cylindrical side wall 30, a front wall 32 and a rear wall 33.

The rear wall 33 is closed, but the front wall 32 has a small diameter (usually 0.002
~0.01 inch) opening 35.

The outer shell 8 hermetically surrounds the inner shell 4 and the intermediate shell 6 except for the opening 35 thereof.

A gas pressure chamber 36 is connected to the front wall 32 of the outer shell 8.

The gas chamber 36 is a closed space except for the gas inlet 38 for the curtain provided in the end wall and the central openings 40, 42 provided in the rear and front walls, respectively.

Its central opening 40.42 is the opening 35 of said outer shell 8.
The three openings 35, 40, and 42 allow substances or objects to enter the vacuum chamber.

A mass spectrometer 10 is mounted inside the rear wall 33 of the outer shell 8.

The front part of the mass spectrometer 10 projects into a cylindrical protective wall 44 .

The protective wall 44 includes a forwardly sloping flange 46 extending generally radially outwardly from its rear end.

The inner surface and rear portion of the protective wall 44 are insulated by an aluminized plastic film 48 to reduce the amount of heat transferred from the mass spectrometer 10 to the inner shell 4 and outer shell 6 and to This prevents the inside of 10 from getting too cold.

Further, the protective wall 44 is supported by several heat conductive strip members 50 connected to the intermediate shell 6, and is maintained at a temperature of 8
At 0°K, heat is removed from the protective wall 44.

The vacuum chamber within the outer shell 8 has first, second and third regions 54.
, 55.56.

The first region 54 and the second region 55 are separated by a conical metal partition member 57 attached to the front of the mass spectrometer 10.

The partition member 57 consists of a front part 57a and a rear part 57b.

Its front portion 57a is fixed to a copper ring 58 that is attached to a copper rod 59 that projects from the front surface 60 of the mass spectrometer 10, which is kept at room temperature.

This keeps the front portion 57a at approximately room temperature.

This configuration is advantageous when used for ions, and is also effective in preventing gas from condensing and adhering to the front portion 57a of the partition member 57.

The rear part 57b of the partition member 57 is fixed to a transmissive strap 61 that projects forward from the protective wall 44,
At 0°K, heat is removed from the rear portion 57b.

Ions can enter the conical partition member 57 through an opening 62 at the front end of its front portion 57a.

Ions entering the conical partition member 57 are guided by an Einzel lens having a three-element configuration consisting of elements 63a, 63b and a front portion 57a of the partition member 57.

Normally the element 63a and the front part 57a are grounded,
A predetermined voltage is applied to the element 63b.

The second and third regions 55 and 56 of the vacuum chamber are connected to the protective wall 44.
It is separated by an inclined flange 46 at the rear end.

The temple flange 46 extends from the third region 56 to the second region 55.
54, but reduces heat radiation from the third region 56 to the first and second regions 54,55.

In normal operation, ions 64 to be analyzed are introduced into the vacuum chamber through each of said openings 42, 40.35.

Introduction of this ion can be accomplished by one of the methods described in US patent application Ser. No. 555,202, filed March 3, 1975.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, a sample gas containing a tracer to be analyzed may be introduced from a duct 65 into an intake chamber 66 disposed at the front of the gas temperature chamber 36.

This intake chamber 66 is electrically insulated from the intake chamber 66,
(2) A power needle electrode 67 is provided which is maintained at the voltage indicated by 1.

The tracer may be ionized directly by discharge from the needle electrode 67 or indirectly by chemical ionization.

In the latter, one or more chemical reagent gases that may be mixed with the sample gas are ionized by discharge from needle electrode 67 and reacted with tracer molecules to form tracer ions.

Other ionization methods may also be used, such as plasma discharge.

The tracer ions thus formed are introduced into the vacuum chamber through the openings 42.40 by appropriate voltages V2, V3 applied to the plates in which said openings 42.40 are formed.

The sample gas itself is prevented from entering the vacuum chamber by the gas introduced into the gas force chamber 36.

A part of the gas for this curtain is gas power - ten chamber 36
Gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber 36 through the inlet 38 at such pressure that it flows out through the opening 42 in the front wall of the chamber 66, thereby preventing the gas in the intake chamber 66 from entering the vacuum chamber.

The gas in the intake chamber 66 is exhausted from the duct 68 together with the curtain gas that has flowed into the intake chamber 66 from the opening 42 .

It is desirable to use a cryopumpable inert gas such as argon as the force-strengthening gas.

A portion of the curtain gas also enters the vacuum chamber along with the ions to be analyzed.

If the sample gas is a gas that can be cryopumped at the temperature obtained by the cooling mechanism 16 and is clean, the gas force-temperature chamber 36 is omitted so that the ions 64 enter the vacuum chamber directly. It's okay.

The ions 64 entering the vacuum chamber pass through the aforementioned Einzel lens (another electrostatic lens may also be used).

) along a path 69 and sent to the mass spectrometer 10 for analysis.

Most of the curtain gas entering the vacuum chamber through the opening 35 becomes a free jet and spreads out within the outer shell 8, as indicated by arrow 70.

A substantial amount of this gas is pumped in the first region 54 by being condensed on the cooling fins 14 .

The pressure within the first region 54 is generally about 10-3 Torr, and the gas is pumped at a relatively low pressure.

The conical partition member 57 redirects most of the gas entering the first region 54 in the direction of the arrow 70 and prevents the gas from entering the second region 55, but prevents ions from entering the second region 55. Entry is allowed through the opening 62 in its front part.

The rear part 57b of the partition member 57 is connected to the second cooling part 26.
is thermally conductively connected to the first
It is pre-cooled before contacting the cooling fins 54 in the region 54 of.

This reduces the load on the inner shell 4, which is particularly desirable when the cold section of the heat pump has limited capacity.

Since the front part 57a of the conical partition member 57 is not cooled (even if it is cooled, it is higher than the liquefaction temperature of the gas entering the vacuum chamber), "frost" accumulates on the front part of the partition member 57. Never.

The gas in the free jet 70 flows through the first
, the pumping speed in the first region 54 becomes faster.

The gas flow within this free jet 70 is a directional gas load that would reach the cooling fins 4 at supersonic speed if there were no obstructions.

The gas that reaches the cooling fin 4 in such a directional supersonic flow reaches the cooling fin 4 at a much higher velocity than the gas flow of random free molecules, and therefore reaches the cooling fin 4 with extremely high efficiency. removed from

Gas that hits a surface and is not liquefied there may reach the cooling fins 4 at a slower rate than the random free molecular flow.

As shown in FIG. 3, the free jet from the opening 35 is restricted by a conical surface 73a surrounding the opening 35 for the reason explained below.

The solid angle X1 of the free jet is suppressed to about 90°.

In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the partition member 5
The solid angle X2 with respect to the front end of partition member 7 is approximately 15°, and the solid angle X3 with respect to the rear end of partition member 57 is approximately 45°.

Therefore, the area in which the directional gas flow entering the vacuum chamber from the opening 35 can reach the cooling fins 4 directly or by only one reflection becomes extremely large.

That is, the area of the spherical surface (part of the spherical surface) indicated by the arc 73b in FIG. 3 is expressed as 2r2.(x1-x2).

However, r is the distance between the opening 35 and the front end of the conical partition member 57, and X1 and X2 are values expressed in radians.

Since the solid angle X1 (90°) is extremely large compared to the solid angle X2 (approximately 15°), for example, the gas density is
Even with a maximum along the 0 axis and a drop according to the cosine square law, more than half of the directional gas load in the free jet 70 can reach the cooling fins with little obstruction.

Note that "almost without obstacles" means that the gas does not collide with anything at all, or that the gas reaches the cooling fins by only one reflection.

Some of the gas may also enter the second region 55.

A part of it is directional gas in the free jet from the opening 35 and the opening 62 at the front end of the conical partition member 57.
It enters the second area 55 from there.

The other part is the gas returned from the first region 54,
It enters the second region 55 through the opening 62 or the gap 71 at the rear end of the partition member 57.

There is also gas that escapes from each wall of the device.

All the gas in the second region 55 is pumped by the cooling fins 14a, and the pressure in this second region 55 is approximately 1
The pressure is reduced to 0-4 torr.

Gas enters the third region 56 (from the mass spectrometer 10 ) through a hole 72 in the casing of the mass spectrometer 10 and through the gap 73 between the intermediate shell 6 and the outer shell 8 .

However, the gas load entering the gap 13 is relatively small for the following reasons.

The conical front end 18 of the intermediate shell 6 as shown in FIG.
extends beyond the rear end of the conical surface 73a surrounding the opening 35.

This conical surface 73a has an angle of at least 90 degrees in order to reduce interference with the free jet γ0, but since the gap 73 is in the shadow of the conical surface 73a, the directional gas can directly flow into the gap. The gas does not enter the gap 73, and only the gas that flows backwards enters the gap 73.

The gas entering the third region 56 moves in the direction of the arrow 74, contacts the cooling fins 22 and the intermediate shell 6, is precooled, and is further condensed on the outer surface of the inner shell 4, thereby being pumped.

A portion also enters the inner shell 4 at the flange 46 of the protective wall 44 and condenses on the inner surface of the inner shell 4.

Only a very small amount of gas is present in the third region 56;
The pressure within the third region 56 is typically about 10@-5 Torr, which is low enough for the mass spectrometer 10 to operate well.

A multistage vacuum device is formed by the configuration described above.

In this multi-stage vacuum apparatus, an object or substance is introduced into the apparatus along with a gas jet, and guided to the operating section (mass spectrometer 10) with the highest degree of vacuum within the apparatus.

The gas jet is also deflected between the inlet and the operating section,
Although pumped to a lower pressure in stages, all surfaces surrounding the object or material passage are cooled by a single cooling mechanism.

Although it is preferable to use a curtain gas such as argon or nitrogen, the vacuum device of this embodiment can also be used to pump air itself.

In that case, since certain trace gases in the air, such as hydrogen and helium, cannot be pumped at 20 DEG K., a ring 76 of granular activated carbon is attached to the outer surface of the rear end of the inner shell 4.

Activated carbon is heated at 20°K when the device for adsorbing hydrogen and helium is stopped and warmed up periodically (e.g. once a week) to remove the gases condensed in the inner shell 4. Adsorbed hydrogen and helium also evaporate.

Activated carbon is also commonly used when gas pressure is provided to remove trace amounts of gas that cannot be cryopumped with the purity of commercially available gases.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear portion 57b of the conical partition member 57 is cooled to 80°K;
The front portion 57a is kept at approximately room temperature.

If necessary, the entire partition member 57 may be kept at room temperature.

However, in order to pre-cool the gas impinging on the partition member 57, it is generally desirable to cool at least a portion of the partition member 57.

If the partition member is integrally formed (it may be integral when sending substances other than ions).

), the entire partition member may be cooled, but preferably the temperature is not so low that the gas condenses on the partition member.

Further, depending on the condensation temperature of the gas to be pumped, a cooling mechanism with a larger capacity may be used, or other cooling means such as liquid nitrogen or liquid helium may be used.

An embodiment of the invention using liquefied gas is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, parts corresponding to the devices in FIGS. 1 and 2 are indicated by adding a dash to the number.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, instead of the intermediate shell 6, a cylindrical cylinder 77 containing, for example, liquid nitrogen is provided.

The inner surface of the kunk 77 forms the inner shell 4', and its outer surface is further insulated from the outer shell 8 by a heat insulating layer 78.

The tank 77 is filled with liquefied gas through an opening 79, and is supported by a known method (not shown).

If the partition member 57' is cooled, the gas will be pre-cooled, which is not desirable, so the rear part 57b' of the partition member 57'
may be attached directly to the outer shell 8 by a support member 80.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The embodiment of apparatus 102 shown in FIG. 5 is suitable for processing sheet material 100. As shown in FIG.

The thin plate material 100 may be a metal material or a plastic material to which a metal is vacuum-deposited, or may be another material to be processed in a vacuum.

It may also be a wire. The apparatus 102 of this embodiment consists of a material introduction area 104, a working area 106, and a material delivery area 108.

The material delivery zone 108 is a mirror image of the material introduction zone 104, and each portion of the material delivery zone 108 is designated by the reference numeral of the corresponding portion of the material introduction zone 104 with a prime added.

The material introduction zone 104 includes an inner shell 110, a middle shell 112, and an outer shell 114 that are concentric with each other.

The cross-sectional shape of the shells 110, 112, 114 may be any suitable shape, for example rectangular as shown in FIG.

The inner shell 110 is the first cooling part 11 of the cooling device 120
The inner shell 110 has a plurality of annular cooling fins 116 extending radially inward and spaced apart from each other along its length.

Because the inner shell 110 is long, a plate 122 made of a material with high heat transfer is inserted between the first cooling part 118 and the inner shell 110, and the inner shell 110
This makes it easier to absorb heat from the body.

The intermediate shell 112 is coupled to a tubular second cooling section 124 concentric with the first cooling section 118 .

The second cooling section 124 is cooled to a higher temperature than the first cooling section 118, for example, 80°K.

The outer shell 114 hermetically surrounds the inner shell 110 and the intermediate shell 112 except at both ends thereof.

In addition, the outer shell 114 includes a material introduction area 104 and a work area 10.
6 and material delivery area 108.

Inner shell 110 is divided into three regions 128, 130, 132 by partition member 126.

The partition member 126 extends from the inner shell 110 to the sheet material 1.
00, leaving a slit 136 for the thin plate material to pass through.

A pair of wiper members 142 are fixed to the end wall of the outer shell 114 for guiding the sheet material 100 into the vacuum chamber at the front end of the material introduction region 104 .

The wiper member 142 reduces gas leakage into the vacuum chamber, and the front end of the front wall 112 is protected against the directional gas load that enters the vacuum chamber from between the wiper members 142. I'm trying to make it happen.

If necessary, a wiper member or a roller for guiding the sheet material 100 may be further provided.

Further, in front of the material introduction area 104, there is a gas force-temperature chamber 14.
4 is provided.

The gas chamber 144 is provided with ducts at its upper and lower ends for introducing a suitable curtain gas into its interior.

Furthermore, at the front end of the gas force-tensile chamber 144 there is an elongated inlet passage 14 for inserting the sheet material 100 into the vacuum chamber.
8 is provided.

Sheet material 100 passes through rollers 15 within its entrance passageway 148.
0 and proceed in the direction of arrow 151.

When the thin plate material 100 reaches the vacuum chamber, various gases absorbed in the material are successively liberated.

One of the slowest gases to liberate is water vapor, and in order to completely or nearly completely remove the water vapor in the sheet material 100, the sheet material 100 must be left in a vacuum for a considerable period of time.

In order to reduce the amount of time the sheet material 100 must be left in a vacuum before being brought to the work area 106, in this embodiment the sheet material is placed in a cryopumped gas in the vacuum chamber. It is designed to be pre-processed using .

That is, curtain gas is supplied into the gas tension chamber 144 as shown by arrow 152.

Heat-dried argon or air is usually used as the curtain gas.

Most of the curtain gas enters the inlet passage 148;
At that time, it is heated by a heater 153.

The heated and dried curtain gas flows in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the sheet material 100, as shown by arrow 154, to pre-dry the sheet material 100.

This removes most of the water vapor within the sheet material 100.

Therefore, the load on the vacuum equipment is considerably reduced, and
It is possible to increase the transfer speed of sheet material within the vacuum device.

If the pretreatment described above is not performed, the sheet material must be transported slowly within the vacuum apparatus.

When the sheet material 100 passes between the wiper members 142 and enters the vacuum chamber, a portion of the curtain gas also flows into the vacuum chamber.

The gas that has flowed into the vacuum chamber is
The three regions 128, 130, 132 are pumped to progressively lower pressures.

The curtain gas leaking from the slits 136 of the partition member 126 spreads within each region and condenses on the cooling fins 116 in that region.

Non-condensing trace gases such as hydrogen can be removed with activated carbon (not shown) or other pumps.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the partition member 126 is coupled directly to the inner shell 110.

As a result, the temperature of the partition member 126 may drop to such an extent that the condensed gas adheres to the slit 136.

This is not a problem if the strength of the thin plate material 100 is high, but if the condensed gas damages the thin plate material 100 or prevents the conveyance of the thin plate material 100, the entire partition member 126 or A portion may be insulated from the inner shell 110.

The sheet material 100 passes through the slit 136 and into the material introduction region 104 .

The ends of the slit 136 may be formed of a low friction material to facilitate passage of the sheet material.

Further, guide rollers may be provided at various positions within the vacuum chamber if necessary.

The sheet material 100 is subjected to a desired treatment such as metal film deposition in a working area 106.

In FIG. 5, this working area 106 is the filament 16
Symbolically indicated by 0.

Since the heat load in the working area 106 can be extremely high, the inner shell 110 of the material introduction area 104 and the inner shell 110' of the material delivery area 108 are
It is protected from the radiant heat of 06 by buffs 156, 156'.

The full 156 and 156' are respectively intermediate shell 1
12 and 112'.

The gas within the working area 106 is drawn through the buffers 156, 156' and the slots 136, 136' into the adjacent areas 132, 132', thereby making the working area 106 responsive to the process being carried out therein. A good degree of vacuum is maintained.

If desired, another pump may also be placed within the work area 106 to absorb by-products (eg, absorbed gases) from the processing in the work area 106.

Furthermore, both the material introduction zone 104 and the material delivery zone 108 may be cooled by a single cooling mechanism instead of using two cooling mechanisms (120, 120'). After being processed, the material is delivered to the outside of the vacuum chamber through the material delivery area 108 and the wiper member 142'.

Also at the rear end of the material delivery area 108 is a gas force-ten chamber 162.
are arranged.

Curtain gas is supplied to this gas tension chamber 162 through a duct 164.

A portion of this curtain gas enters the material delivery area 108 through the gap around the wiper member 142', but this gas is pumped to progressively lower pressures in the same manner as described above, in and around the work area 106. is maintained at the desired low pressure.

Note that this gas force-tens chamber 164 on the material delivery side is not necessarily required, but the gas force-tens chamber 164 on the material introduction side
4 is usually used for the pretreatment.

Also, since there is usually no degassing load when the sheet material 100 leaves the work area 106, the number of areas in the material delivery area 108 may be less than the number of areas in the material introduction area 104.

The apparatus of the present invention can be used to move objects or substances from pressure to vacuum, and conversely, from a vacuum chamber to pressure (for example, on the left side of Figure 5). .

For example, the device of the present invention can be used to generate a beam of electrons or the like in a vacuum and send that beam out of the vacuum region.

The gas cryopumped in the apparatus of the present invention varies depending on the conditions of use of the apparatus.

Depending on the conditions of use, it may be a gas that has a relatively high vapor pressure (though still significantly lower than atmospheric pressure) and condenses at a relatively high temperature, such as water vapor.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

(Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mass spectrometer using an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mass spectrometer along the line.) Figure 3 explains the flow of gas in the apparatus of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mass spectrometer using a device according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■--■ in FIG. 5. FIG. 4... Inner shell, 6... Middle shell, 8... Outer shell, 10... Mass spectrometer, 14, 22... Cooling fin, 36...
...Gas force - Ten chamber, 54, 55.56...
- First, second, and third regions, 57... partition members.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a device for moving an object or substance from a gas that changes to a solid phase at a predetermined temperature and whose vapor pressure is extremely low compared to atmospheric pressure into a vacuum, or vice versa, a vacuum chamber comprising an opening for introducing and removing an object or substance, a predetermined path through which the object or substance passes, and a surface surrounding the path; means for moving the object or substance through the opening; guiding means for guiding the object or substance along the predetermined path within the vacuum chamber; cooling means for cooling the surface of the vacuum chamber to the predetermined temperature; Area and its first
at least one partitioning means dividing the region downstream of the region into a second region, the opening being such that the gas can enter the vacuum chamber when the object or substance passes through the opening. the partitioning means has an opening opening in the predetermined path, through which the object or substance can move; the partitioning means extends at least close to the second region, and when the surface is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the gas that has entered through the opening is directed onto the surface. the object or substance condenses into the eleventh region such that the pressure in the second region is lower than the pressure in the first region;
An apparatus characterized in that it is capable of moving between second regions along the predetermined path. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum chamber is divided into a plurality of regions by a plurality of partition members, thereby forming a plurality of pressure stages. 3. The partition member has a truncated cone shape with an open top, and the bottom of the truncated cone-shaped partition member is located downstream from the top, and the opening at the top is connected to the opening of the vacuum chamber. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus forms a solid angle substantially smaller than the solid angle formed by the free jet of gas flowing through the vacuum chamber and into the vacuum chamber. 4. The vacuum chamber comprises an outer shell and an intermediate shell inside the outer shell, such that an annular space is formed between the outer shell and the intermediate shell, and the surface is formed on the intermediate shell. located inside the vacuum chamber, the opening of the vacuum chamber being surrounded by a conical surface such that the solid angle at which gas entering the vacuum chamber through the opening expands is limited by the conical surface; Further, the intermediate shell has a front end extending radially inward, and an entrance to the annular space is formed between a tip of the front end and the outer shell, and the entrance is located behind the conical surface. 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the annular space is such that the gas does not directly enter the annular space. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a plurality of annular cooling fins extending radially inwardly on the surface are spaced apart along the length of the surface. 6. the vacuum chamber comprises an outer shell, an intermediate shell and an inner shell, the inner surface of the inner shell forming the surface, and means for the cooling means to cool the inner shell to the predetermined temperature; means for cooling the intermediate shell to a second temperature above the predetermined temperature and below the ambient temperature, the outer shell being adapted to prevent air ingress into the inner shell and the intermediate shell. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that: 7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the partition member is maintained at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature. 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is attached to the partition member. 9. The object or substance is a strip-shaped material, and a gas force-ten chamber is provided at the front part of the vacuum chamber and communicates with the vacuum chamber through the opening, and the gas force-ten chamber has an inlet. the strip of material is introduced into the vacuum chamber through the inlet and the opening of the vacuum chamber; It is equipped with a means to heat the gas,
Furthermore, the gas force--a tubular member is attached that surrounds a portion of the strip when the strip is inserted into the inlet of the ten chamber, and the gas flows in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the strip. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is flowed into a tubular member so that the strip is pretreated before entering the vacuum chamber. 10. The vacuum chamber is composed of a material introduction area, a work area, and a material delivery area, and the material introduction area and the material delivery area are divided into a plurality of regions by a plurality of partition members,
The material delivery zone has an outlet so that the strip of material is guided through the gas pressure chamber, the material introduction zone, the working zone and the material delivery zone to be subjected to the desired treatment in the working zone. 10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that: 11 The object or substance is a tracer ion, the means for moving the object or substance is an electric field that sends the tracer ion into a vacuum chamber, and the guide means is an electrostatic lens means. The device according to scope 1. 12 A method for moving an object or substance from a gas into a vacuum or vice versa, which includes a surface that substantially surrounds the path through which the object or substance passes, and a first area adjacent to the gas area and the first area adjacent to the gas area by a partitioning means. a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region; An object or substance is continuously moved between a vacuum chamber and a gas region in which a gas is extended, and a gas that changes to a solid phase at a predetermined temperature and whose vapor pressure at that time is extremely low compared to atmospheric pressure is transferred to the gas region. the first region by continuously filling the first region with a gas, continuously injecting a portion of the gas into the first region at the point where the pass enters the vacuum chamber, and cooling the surface to the predetermined temperature. The pressure in the region is set to the first pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and the pressure in the second region is set to
A method characterized in that the pressure in the region is set to a second pressure lower than the first pressure. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the object or substance is a tracer ion generated from a tracer component to be analyzed. 14 In a method of transferring an object from a gas to a vacuum or vice versa, the object is guided through an inlet conduit to the entrance of a vacuum chamber, and at a predetermined temperature it changes to a solid phase, and the vapor pressure at that time is A curtain gas consisting of a gas extremely low in pressure compared to atmospheric pressure is supplied, and the curtain gas is passed through the inlet of the vacuum chamber and the inlet conduit so that almost no other gas can enter from the inlet of the vacuum chamber. heating the gas flowing through the inlet conduit so that the object is dried as it passes through the gas; cooling the inner surface of the vacuum chamber to below the predetermined temperature; A method characterized by condensing a gas in a room. 15 The object is a continuous strip-shaped material, and the strip-shaped material is pulled out from an outlet of the vacuum chamber, and at the same time, the gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber from the outlet, and the inner surface of the vacuum chamber is brought to the predetermined temperature. 15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of cooling and condensing the gas.