High performance portable vacuum suitcase

We have developed and tested a vacuum suitcase which allows to transport samples under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The suitcase is pumped by a new performant pumping system based on a getter pump, and it reaches an ultimate pressure lower than 3 × 10 − 11 mbar , which is 2 orders of magnitude better than in the existing projects. Furthermore it has no need for a continuos power supply, no electric or magnetic field, low weight, low cost, and compactness. In order to transfer the sample from the suitcase to the main experimental chamber, in a short time (about 1 h ) and under UHV conditions, we have also developed a turbo pumped buffer chamber equipped with a cold trap.